Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. (September 20, 1888 – May 29, 1950) was a U.S. Navy pilot who served as the first commanding officer of Naval Air Station San Diego. He was the first husband of Wallis Simpson, who later married Edward VIII.
Early life and military career 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. 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).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)".Arlington National Cemetery – Miriam J. Raford She was the former Miriam Ham, daughter of George and Katie Anastasia (née Eagels) Ham of Portland, Oregon.1900 U.S. Census – Census Place: Portland Ward 6, Multnomah, Oregon; Roll: 1350; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0063; FHL microfilm: 1241350 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)."Service Social News", Army and Navy Journal, 4 September 1943, columns 3 and 4. Mariam Spencer married, in 1939, as her third husband, Arthur William Radford, vice admiral, USN, future chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Arlington National Cemetery – Arthur W. Radford
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."Spencer To Be in Double Wedding", Ogden (Utah) Standard Examiner, 29 June 1937, page 6A, column 6. 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.Ancestry.com – 1900 United States Federal Census: Census Place: Neville, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1370; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0456; FHL microfilm: 1241370
Death Spencer died on May 29, 1950, in San Diego, California, at the age of 61.
In art, screen portrayals, and literature 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.
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