Spalding, Francis O.

Francis Odiorne Spalding was born on July 31, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. In 1950, he obtained his B.A. in sociology and history from Yale University.

From 1950-1951, Spalding was an executive trainee for the National Broadcasting Company in New York. He served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, both in the U.S. and overseas, from 1951-1952. From 1953-1958, he held a position in the Advertising Department of Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati. Returning to Chicago, Spalding worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co., until 1959 when he moved to Leo Burnett Co. He worked in advertising there until 1961.

Spalding attended Northwestern University School of Law and received his J.D. degree Magna Cum Laude ranking third in his class in June of 1964. Upon graduation, he worked for a short while (1964-1965) for Isham, Lincoln & Beale, attorneys at law, in Chicago.

On September 1, 1965, Spalding joined the faculty of Northwestern University School of Law as the Assistant Dean and an Assistant Professor of Law, positions he held until 1968, at which point he was appointed Associate Professor of Law. He held this position until 1971 and in 1972 was appointed Associate Dean.

Taking a leave from his duties at Northwestern from January to June 1970, Spalding traveled to Lusaka, Zambia to do research at the University of Zambia. He subsequently published “One Nation, One Judiciary : The Lower Courts of Zambia,” 2 Zambia Law Journal (1970).

Spalding married Dorothy Stack with whom he had two children: Susan and Robert. He also had four children by a former marriage. As of 1992, Spalding was working as an attorney/arbitrator in San Francisco, California.

From the guide to the Francis O. Spalding (1929-) Papers, 1964-1981, (Northwestern University Archives)