Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/470

 SPENCER

SPINOLA

5PE.NCER, Piatt Rogers, educator, was born in East Fishkill. N.Y.. Nov. 7, 1800; son of Caleb (a Revolutionary soldier, who died in 1806) and Jerusha (Covell) Spencer; grandson of Robert Spencer, and a descendant of John Spencer of Rhode Ishmd who sailed from England. March 26, 1633. He removed with his family to Jeffer- son. Oiiio. in ISIO : taught writing, and until 1832 was variously engaged as a student, teacher and bookkeeper. He was an earnest advocate of total abstinence, to which principle he had be- come convert in 1832 ; was county treasurer for twelve years ; a zealous promoter of the anti- slavery movement ; influential in organizing several business colleges in the United States, and was an instructor in business colleges throughout the country. He was the originator of the Spen- cerian system of penmanship, and in 1848 pub- lished Spencer atid Rice\'s System of Business and Ladies' Penmanship, which appeared in a second edition as Spencerian or Semi-Angular Penman- ship. He was married, April. 1828. to Persis, daughter of Duty Ebenezer and Sallie Warren of Ashtabula, Ohio, and of his children, Ellen (Spencer) Mussey (q.v.), became prominent in Washington in the legal profession. He is the author of several books on penmanship and the Key to Spencerian Penmanship completed in 1864. He died in Geneva, Ohio. :May 16, 1864.

SPERRY, Nehemiah Day, representative, was born in Woodbridge, Conn.. July 10, 1827 ; son of Enoch and Mary Atalanta (Sperry) Sperry ; maternal grandson of Asa and Eunice (Johnson) Sperry and paternal gra.ndson of Simeon and Rachel Sperry, and a descendant of Richard Sperry, born in Wales, who arrived in New Haven about 1643. He attended public and private schools ; taught school, and worked on a farm, in a mill and. as a builder. He was select- man of the town of New Haven in 1853 ; common councilman of the city, 1853; alderman in 1854; secretary of state of Connecticut, 1855-57, and postmaster of New Haven, 1861-85, 1889-93. He was chairman of the Republican state committee, 1856-64, and was president of the state conven- tion that nominated Grant electors in 1857 ; also a delegate to the Republican national con- vention of 1864, and served as secretary of the national and executive committees, 1863-64. He was married first in 1847 to Eliza, daughter of Willis and Catharine Sperry of Woodbridge, Conn., and .secondly in 1874 to Minnie B. Newton, of Lockport, N.Y. He declined a nomination as representative to congress in 1886, and was a Republican representative from the second Con- necticut district in the 54th-.58th congresses, 1895- 1905, serving on the committee on post offices and post roads, and as chairman of the committee on alcoholic liquor traffic.

SPICER, William Francis, naval officer, was born in New York city, Feb. 7, 1820. He was ap- pointed midshipman in the navy, June 21, 1839, and in 1843 entered the naval school at Philadel- phia, Pa. On July 2, 1845, he was advanced passed midshipman, and June 28, 1853, was commissioned master. He was promoted lieutenant, Feb. 25, 1854, and in 1861 was stationed on the Niagara, which did blockade duty on the Atlantic coast. Later, in the Western Gulf blockading squadron,, he participated in the attack on Fort McRea in Pensacola harbor, Nov. 22, 1861, and subsequently engaged in the search for the Siunter. He was promoted lieutenant-commander July 16, 1862, commander Jan. 2, 1863, and was stationed on the Cambridge, participating in the attacks on Fort Fisher, Dec. 25, 1864, and Jan. 13, 1865. He served on the Dakota, 1867-69 ; was stationed at the Charlestown navy yard, 1869-72 ; was promoted captain April 22, 1870, and when war with Spain threatened in 1874-75, he was in command of a monitor in the Gulf squadron. He was promoted commodore in 1877, and was commandant of the Charlestown navy yard, 1877-78. Commodore Spicer wrote many ballads which were very popular among sailors. He died in Charlestown, Mass., Nov. 29. 1878.

5P1NNER, Francis Elias, representative and U.S. treasurer, was born in German Flats, N.Y., Jan. 21, 1802; sonof John Peter Spinner. His father was a Roman Catholic priest who became a Prot- estant and came to America, becoming pastor of Reformed churches in New York state. The son engaged in bu.siness at Herkimer, N.Y., enlisted as a lieutenant in tlie militia, and in 1834 had be- come major-general. In 1839 he entered the Mo- hawk-Valley bank of which he subsequently be- came president, and served in the naval office of the New Y^'ork customs-house, 1845-49. He was a Free-soil Democratic representative from New Y'ork in the 34th congress, 1855-57, and a Repulj- lican representative in the 35th and SOtli con- gresses, 1857-61. He served on several important committees, and on the special committee ap- pointed to investigate the Brooks-Sumner assault. He was appointed U.S. treasurer by President Lincoln, at the instance of Secretary Chase, March 6, 1861, and held the position through suc- cessive administrations until June 30, 1875. He was the first person to employ women in the government service, and his unique signature be- came well-known on the various issues of green- backs. He died in Jacksonville, Fla., Dec. 31, 1890.

SPINOLA, Francis B., representative, was born at Stony Brook, Long Island, N.Y., March 19, 1821. He was educated at Quaker Hill acad- emy, N.Y. ; was admitted to the bar in New Y'ork city in 1844; and engaged in manufactur- ing there. He served as alderman, five years ; as.