Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. was born on September 20, 1888, in Kinsley, Kansas, son of Earl Winfield Spencer Sr., a socially prominent Chicago stockbroker, and Agnes Lucy Hughes. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1910 and in 1917 was sent to San Diego with instructions to set up a permanent naval air station, which was to be used for training exercises, He became its first commanding officer.
Personal life
Spencer was married four times.[citation needed] His wives were:
Bessie Wallis Warfield (1896–1986): married in Baltimore on November 8, 1916. Spencer was allegedly abusive to her and was an alcoholic. After several separations, they divorced in December 1927.
Mariam J. Maze (1895–1997): previously married to Albert Cressey Maze (1891–1943). She was the former Miriam Ham, daughter of George and Katie Anastasia (née Eagels) Ham of Portland, Oregon.[bettersourceneeded] They married in September 1928 and were divorced in 1936, the same year Spencer was made a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy by Benito Mussolini. By this marriage he had one stepson, Robert Claude Maze Sr., Major, USMC (killed in action, 1945). Mariam Spencer married, in 1939, as her third husband, Arthur William Radford, vice admiral, USN, future chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Norma Reese Johnson (1891–1944): widow of a Detroit manufacturer who died in 1928. Spencer and Johnson were married in Los Angeles on July 4, 1937. They married in a double wedding with another couple in February 1937 in Tijuana, Mexico. The couple separated on February 9, 1940, and divorced later that year in Santa Monica, California. Both parties alleged cruelty; The New York Times said that Spencer's "habitual intemperance" caused the divorce. Spencer replied in Time that Johnson "drank as much ... as I did".
Lillian Phillips (1892–1981): married October 2, 1941.[bettersourceneeded]
He was portrayed by actor Ryan Hayward in W.E., the 2011 British romantic drama film about the love of Wallis and King Edward VIII co-written and directed by Madonna.
↑Ralph S. Cooper, D.V.M. "Earl W. Spencer, Jr". Earlyaviators.com. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
↑Spelling of wife's first name per the 1930 United States Federal Census for San Diego, California, accessed on ancestry.com on 23 December 2011. Mariam's maiden name, former husband's name, et cetera, were determined through research on ancestry.com, through censuses and marriage records, also accessed on ancestry.com.
↑CORRECTION of FOOTNOTE 3 – The MIRIAM JEAN CARO daughter of Simon and Bertha Abrahamson Caro was born 29 June 1893 in Roseburg, Douglas Co., OR, and DIED UNMARRIED on 20 June 1982 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA.
1. Ancestry.com [database on-line], 1940 U. S. Federal Census, (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: T627_318; Page: 64B; Enumeration District: 38-502.
2. Ancestry.com [database on-line], Oregon, Select Births and Christenings, 1868–1929, (Prove, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2000), Name: Miriam Jean Caro, Gender: Female, Birth Date: 29 Jun 1894, Birth Place: Roseburg, Doulas, Oregon, Father: Simon Caro, Mother: Bertha Abrahamson Caro, FHL Film Number: 2259056.
3. Ancestry.com [database on-line], California Death Index, 1940–1997, (Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000), Name: Miriam J Caro, Social Security #: 564589069, Gender: Female, Birth Date: 29 Jun 1893, Birth Place: Oregon, Death Date: 20 Jun 1982, Death Place: San Francisco, Mother's Maiden Name: Abrahamson.
4. Ancestry.com [database on-line], U.S. Social Security Death Index, (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011), "Name: Miriam Caro, SSN: 564-58-9069, Last Residence: 94109 San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA, BORN: 29 Jun 1894, Died: Jun 1982, State (Year) SSN issued: California (1959)".
United States
United States Navy
Commander
