Background
John was born on January 8, 1788 in Hudson, New York, United States, the eldest son of Ambrose Spencer and Laura (Canfield) Spencer.
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(Excerpt from Review of the Testimony Given Before the Gen...)
Excerpt from Review of the Testimony Given Before the General Court Martial, Upon the Trial of Brig. General George Talcott, in June and July, 1851: And of the Proceedings of the Court The court met pursuant to the aforegoing orders. Present, all the members named in the order, except General Clarke, where upon the court was closed, and a member stated that according to information he had received, General Clarke was detained yes torday by an accident in Philadelphia, and might, therefore, be expected to be present to-morrow whereupon the court decided to adjourn to meet to-morrow at 9 o'clock. The court was then opened and the adjournment announced. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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John was born on January 8, 1788 in Hudson, New York, United States, the eldest son of Ambrose Spencer and Laura (Canfield) Spencer.
John C. Spencer entered college at Williamstown, Massachussets, where he remained about a year; then transferred to Union College, Schenectady, New York. He graduated with high honors in 1806.
In 1807 Spencer became the private secretary of Governor Daniel D. Tompkins. He also began the study of law in Albany, and in 1809 was admitted to the bar. Soon after he married to Elizabeth Scott Smith, he moved to Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York, where, with very limited funds, he began to practise law. His rise was rapid. Within two years he became a master in chancery, and in 1813 was appointed brigade judge-advocate in active service along the frontier. He was appointed postmaster at Canandaigua in 1814, and in 1815 became assistant attorney-general and district attorney for the five western counties of the state.
While holding the last-named office, he was elected to Congress by the Clintonian faction. During his term in the House (1817 - 19), he served on a committee which investigated and reported unfavorably on the affairs of the Bank of the United States. While still in Congress, he was nominated for United States senator by the Clintonian members of the legislature, but was defeated in the ensuing election.
He was next elected to the General Assembly, serving three terms, 1820, 1821, 1822, in the first as speaker. He was a member of the state Senate during four sessions, 1825-28.
In 1827 Governor DeWitt Clinton appointed him with John Duer and B. F. Butler on a committee to revise the statutes of the state. Spencer's abilities, including an amazing grasp of detail, eminently qualified him for this task and contributed greatly to the successful revision.
His pamphlet, A Portrait of Free Masonry (1832), was reprinted in John Quincy Adams' Letters Addressed to Wm. L. Stone upon the Subject of Masonry (1833).
In 1831 and 1833 he was again a member of the state Assembly. In 1837 he moved to Albany, where he spent the greater portion of his remaining years. In 1838 he edited Democracy in America, translated by Henry Reeves from the French of De Tocqueville.
Upon the reorganization of the cabinet following the death of President Harrison in 1841, he was appointed by President Tyler as secretary of war.
He remained in the War Department from October 12, 1841, until March 3, 1843; then became secretary of the treasury, but resigned, May 2, 1844, because of his opposition to the annexation of Texas. After retiring from public life, his last important legal case was the successful defense of Dr. Eliphalet Nott, president of Union College, against the charge of misappropriating college funds (Argument in Defense of the Rev. Eliphalet Nott, 1853).
He died in Albany, New York on May 17, 1855.
John Canfield Spencer was considered one of the ablest lawyers of his day, but his devotion to detail often prevented his taking a broad view of public problems. He is remembered for serving as a United States Representative from New York, 1817-1819; Secretary of War under President Tyler, 1841-1843; Secretary of the Treasury under President Tyler, 1843-1844.
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(Excerpt from Review of the Testimony Given Before the Gen...)
Having in the meantime joined the Anti-Masonic party, Spencer, in 1829, became special prosecuting officer to investigate the abduction of William Morgan. Later he joined the Whig party.
In personal appearance Spencer has been described as tall and slender; with eyes "fierce and quick-rolling, " and a face bearing "the line of thought and an unpleasant character of sternness. "
He was notoriously short-tempered, and his inability to yield to or work with others kept him from acquiring the political power he desired.
On May 20 of that year he married Elizabeth Scott Smith, daughter of J. Scott Smith of New York City. One son, Philip, serving as acting midshipman under Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, was executed for attempted mutiny on the brig Somers, in 1842.
