John Alfred Spender CH (23 December 1862 – 21 June 1942) was a British journalist and author. He also edited the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

newspaper ''

The Westminster Gazette ''The Westminster Gazette'' was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope, D. H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, and Saki, ...

'' from 1896 to 1922.

Early life

Spender was the eldest of four sons born to John Kent Spender, a doctor, and his wife, the novelist Lillian Spender. He was educated at

Bath College Bath College is a Further Education college in the centre of Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2 ...

and Balliol College, Oxford, where he did well in his studies but missed a first in Greats because of illness.

Editor

Though

Benjamin Jowett Benjamin Jowett (, modern variant ; 15 April 1817 – 1 October 1893) was an English tutor and administrative reformer in the University of Oxford, a theologian, an Anglican cleric, and a translator of Plato and Thucydides. He was Master of B ...

, the Master of Balliol, suggested for Spender to become a lawyer, Spender sought out a career in journalism instead and he had the assistance of his uncle, William Saunders, who owned the ''

Western Morning News The ''Western Morning News'' is a daily regional newspaper founded in 1860, and covering the West Country including Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Somerset and Dorset in the South West of England. Organisation The ''Western M ...

'' and ''

Eastern Morning News The ''Eastern Morning News'' was a newspaper based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Founded by William Saunders in 1864, it ceased publication in November 1929. History The ''Eastern Morning News'' was founded in 1864 b ...

'' as well as the Central News Agency. After a brief period as Saunders's secretary, Spender was offered a position as a

leader writer A leader writer is a senior journalist in a British newspaper who is charged with writing the paper's editorial either in the absence of the editor or in cases where the editor chooses not to write editorials because their editorial skills may res ...

for '' The Echo'' by

John Passmore Edwards John Passmore Edwards M.P. (24 March 1823 – 22 April 1911) ODNB article by A. J. A. Morris, 'Edwards, John Passmore (1823–1911)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 200 accessed 15 ...

, but their relationship proved difficult and Spender left after only five months in the post.Morris 2004, p.900 In 1886 Saunders offered his nephew the editorship of the struggling Hull newspaper ''Eastern Morning News''. Spender eagerly accepted and spent a little more than four years in the post. As the editor of a provincial daily, Spender undertook whatever jobs were necessary: sales manager, leader writer, reporter and critic. His efforts returned the paper to profitability, but it was sold by Saunders in February 1891. Spender returned to London, where he worked as a freelance contributor to a number of papers and wrote his first book, a tract on old-age pensions that won him the friendship of

John Morley John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn, (24 December 1838 – 23 September 1923) was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially, a journalist in the North of England and then editor of the newly Liberal-leani ...

. In June 1892 Spender received an offer from

Edward Tyas Cook Sir Edward Tyas Cook (12 May 1857 – 30 September 1919) was an English journalist, biographer, and man of letters. Biography Born in Brighton, Cook was the youngest son of Silas Kemball Cook, secretary of the Royal Naval Hospital, Greenwich, ...

, the editor of the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

evening newspaper the ''

Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...

'', to work as his assistant editor. Spender gladly accepted, only to be let go a month later after it was sold to

William Waldorf Astor William Waldorf "Willy" Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was an American-British attorney, politician, businessman (hotels and newspapers), and philanthropist. Astor was a scion of the very wealthy Astor family of ...

, who changed its party allegiance to the Conservative Party (UK), Unionists. Though the newly-married Spender was unemployed once more, he was quickly rehired by Cook when he started a new Liberal evening paper, ''The Westminster Gazette'', in January 1893.

Editorship of ''The Westminster Gazette''

Cook served as editor until 1896, when he resigned his position to take over as editor of the Liberal ''The Daily News (UK), The Daily News''. Though a number of prominent individuals applied to succeed him, the owner of ''The Westminster Gazette'', George Newnes, decided to offer the editorship to Spender, then only 33. Spender himself was modest about his prospects, but his selection was met with approval by many in the Liberal ranks, including leader Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, Lord Rosebery. Under Spender's direction, ''The Westminster Gazette'' never had a wide circulation nor made a profit. Nonetheless, it was the most influential evening newspaper in Britain, and Spender received the credit. Veteran editor Frederick Greenwood regarded ''The Westminster Gazette'' under Spender as "the best edited paper in London" and his leaders became essential reading for politicians on both sides of the political aisle. His priority was Liberal unity, and he balanced ideological expression in the pages of his paper, avoiding the polemical heights attained by his counterparts in other Liberal publications. That occasionally earned him the ire of both Liberal factions in a debate, but his loyalty to the Liberal leadership was rewarded with their confidences, which provided him with invaluable insight into the inner workings of contemporary politics.Morris 2004, p.901 Spender greatly valued his editorial independence, which was never an issue with Newnes. When the latter sold the paper in 1908 to a consortium of Liberal businessmen and politicians, led by Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett, Alfred Mond, however, Spender found his cherished independence under pressure. Only internal disagreement within the consortium saved Spender from dismissal. The dispute hurt staff morale, and the start of the First World War led several important staff members to leave for service in the armed forces. A growing decline in circulation and revenue led Spender and the owners to undertake the radical move of switching from an evening to a morning publication in November 1921. The new paper, however, was no longer a vehicle for the sort of reflective journalism characteristic of Spender, who resigned in February 1922.

Later life

Spender's departure from ''The Westminster Gazette'' also meant his departure from journalism, as he now pursued a new career as an author. Over the next two decades, he wrote a number of books on nonfiction subjects, including histories, travelogues, biographies and memoirs. His most prominent works were two biographies of Liberal Party Prime Ministers Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H. Asquith and a memoir of his ''Life Journalism and Politics''. He also served on a number of public commissions and inquiries, and after refusing public honours three previous times, he accepted an appointment as a Order of the Companions of Honour, Companion of Honour. He also remained involved in Liberal politics, but his influence was much diminished with the decline of the Liberal Party in the interwar period. His concern about the insufficiency of British armaments led many to brand Spender as an appeasement, appeaser before the Second World War, or otherwise to praise him for his able defence of Neville Chamberlain's policy. Spender died in June 1942 after a long illness.Morris 2004, p. 902

Works

*''The State and Pensions in Old Age'' (1892) * ''The Comments of Bagshot'' (1908) *''The Life of The Right Hon. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman'' (2 vols.) (1924) *''The Public Life'' (2 vols.) (1925) *''Life, Journalism and Politics'' (2 vols.) (1927) * (with Cyril Asquith) ''Life of Herbert Henry Asquith, Lord Oxford and Asquith'' (2 vols.) (1932) *''The Changing East'' (Pocket Edition 1935) *''New lamps and ancient lights'' (1940) *''Last Essays'' (1944) *''Men and things'' (1968)

Sources

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