Spencer, William Marvin, 1892-1984

William M. Spencer was born in 1892 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Princeton in 1915 and enlisted as an officer in the 165th Infantry Regiment, the former "Fighting 69th" made famous by Col. William Donovan and Father Francis Duffy. As a 2nd Lieutenant, Spencer participated in the Second Battle of the Marne (1918), engaging the enemy on the heights near Villes sur Fere, France. His actions while wounded earned a Distinguished Service Cross. After the war in Chicago, Spencer worked at the Hamerhill Paper Company and served as the chairman of North American Car Company from 1941 until his retirement in 1959. He also served as the Chief of Staff of the Illinois Militia, 1940-1942. Spencer married Gertrude White, daughter of F. Edson White, president of Armor and Company. Spencer was a trustee of Northwestern University, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Latin School Foundation, Children's Home & Aid Society and the Chicago Boys Club. Spencer died in 1984 at the age of 92.

William M. Spencer was born in 1892 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Princeton in 1915 and enlisted as an officer in the 165th Infantry Regiment, the former "Fighting 69th" made famous by Col. William Donovan and Father Francis Duffy. As a 2nd Lieutenant, Spencer participated in the Second Battle of the Marne (1918), engaging the enemy on the heights near Villes sur Fere, France. His actions while wounded earned a Distinguished Service Cross. After the war in Chicago, Spencer worked at the Hamerhill Paper Company and served as the chairman of North American Car Company from 1941 until his retirement in 1959. He also served as the Chief of Staff of the Illinois Militia, 1940-1942. Spencer married Gertrude White, daughter of F. Edson White, president of Armor and Company. Spencer was a trustee of Northwestern University, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Latin School Foundation, Children's Home & Aid Society and the Chicago Boys Club and was an amateur composer. Spencer died in 1984 at the age of 92.

Chicago businessman and collector of materials relating to the Napoleonic Era.

William Marvin Spencer was a Chicago businessman and civic leader. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania on May 14, 1892 and died in Chicago, Illinois on October 3, 1984. He served as an officer in the American Expeditionary Force in France during WW I. Around 1930, Spencer started to collect material relating to Napoleon I and his circle of military and political associates; eventually he also included autographs of Napoleon's family members, mistresses, and favorites. In 1956 and 1957, Spencer donated 234 items from his collection to the University of Chicago Library. In the early 1970's, Spencer offered to sell his collection to the French National Archives, but they could not meet his asking price. Spencer's own thoughts about his collection and collecting in general are summarized in a talk housed in Box 17, Folder 1720.