Spencer, John C.

Spencer, John C. (b. Hudson, N.Y., 8 Jan. 1788; d. Albany, N.Y., 17 May 1855), lawyer, public official, and unconfirmed nominee to the Supreme Court. Spencer, the son of Ambrose and Laura Canfield Spencer, was reared and educated in Albany, New York. He also received instruction at Williams College and Union College. In 1809, after being admitted to the bar and marrying Elizabeth Scott Smith, he moved to Canandaigua, New York, where he established a flourishing law practice. After service as assistant attorney general and district attorney, Spencer was elected to Congress in 1817. Defeated for reelection, he served terms in both the New York assembly and the state senate. Spencer moved to Albany in 1837, where he became a member of the Whig party and secretary of state of New York in 1839.

In 1841 President John Tyler appointed Spencer secretary of war, an office he held until 3 March 1843, when he became secretary of the treasury. On 9 January 1844 Tyler nominated Spencer to the Supreme Court, but on 31 January 1844 the Senate rejected him by a vote of 21 to 26, owing largely to the opposition of those Whigs who distrusted any friend of Tyler and to Spencer's fierce temper. Spencer resigned from the Treasury Department on 2 May 1844 to resume the practice of law in Albany. Colleagues praised his skills as a lawyer but noted that his excessive attention to detail prevented him from understanding larger public questions.

See also Nominees, Rejection of.

Robert M. Ireland