Henry C. Spencer
Henry Christian Spencer (June 24, 1915 – May 30, 1999) was an American chemical engineer and executive at the Kerite Company in Seymour, Connecticut. As secretary and vice president, he was involved in discussions about unions at the company, and in its joining with Hubbell Company.
Henry Christian Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 24, 1915 |
| Died | May 30, 1999 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University |
| Spouse(s) | Evelyn Burchard (1938-1971), Mary P. Adams (1972-1999) |
Early life and education
He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Dr. William Henry Spencer and Bertha Wenig Spencer. His father graduated from the Illinois College of Physicians and Surgeons, Chicago, in 1904. He was a prominent surgeon in Cedar Rapids, and his ancestors had been early settlers in Iowa. Bertha Wenig was the daughter of George Kaspar Wenig and Ida Ernst Wenig, both of Cedar Rapids. She graduated from the University of Chicago, and was active in St. John's Episcopal Church.
Henry Spencer graduated from Iowa State University in 1936 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Career
He worked for the Calco Chemical Company from 1936-1946, partly at American Cyanamid in New Jersey.
He began working for Kerite Company in Seymour, Connecticut in 1951. In 1969, he was elected Secretary of the Kerite.[1] Later, he was Vice President of Kerite. In 1973, he reported that the company employees had voted against joining the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum, and Plastic Workers Union. The vote had been 208 to 132 out of 380 eligible workers. Kerite was the largest employer in Seymour, Connecticut.[2] He retired from Kerite in 1978.
He served as Chairman of the Manufacturers Council of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Chamber of Commerce, and worked on projects including a 'clergy-industry conference,' and work toward the Waterbury-Oxford Airport[3] He was also the Industrial Chairman for the first Valley United Fund drive, and he sought donations from over 150 corporations for a variety of community organizations.[4]
He was a corporator of Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT, a director of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the board of Junior Achievement of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, a deacon in the Middlebury Congregational Church, and master of King Solomons Lodge AF&AM in Woodbury, Connecticut.[5] He was also a member of the Boy Scouts, the Republican Town Committee, and the Middlebury Hunt. He was a founder of the Middlebury Land Trust, and was later a member of the South Britain Congregational Church.
He was also a founder and president of the Spencer Historical and Genealogical Society, and authored many important articles in its journal, Le Despencer.[6]
Family life
He married Evelyn Burchard (1912-2002), on December 28, 1938 in the chapel of St. Paul's Church in Cedar Rapids. She was the daughter of Frederick Burchard, the owner of the Royal Laundry in Cedar Rapids. Evelyn graduated from Iowa State University in 1938 and was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Together, they had 5 children, and one (William) who died in infancy: Samuel, Thomas, Stella, Michael, and Rebecca Spencer. They lived in Middlebury, Connecticut.
In 1972, he married Mary P. Adams, and they later retired in Green Valley, Arizona.
Henry's brother, Dr. Carl G. Spencer, was a large animal veterinarian. A scholarship in his name at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine was for students interested in pursuing bovine and ovine medicine.
Together, the brothers erected a gravestone memorializing their grandfather, George Cogswell Spencer and their father, William Henry Spencer, M.D.[7]
Genealogy
- Henry Christian Spencer, son of
- William Henry Spencer (1878–1936), son of
- George Cogswell Spencer (1854–1926), son of
- Abner Nutting Spencer (1820–1879), son of
- William Spencer (1781–1871), son of
- Ashbel Spencer (1737–1808), son of
- Caleb Spencer (1709–1789), son of
- Obadiah Spencer (c. 1666–1741), son of
- Obadiah Spencer (c. 1639–1712), son of
- Thomas Spencer (1607–1687)
References
- "Spencer Secretary of Kerite". Naugatuck Daily News. March 13, 1969.
- "UNION IS REJECTED BY KERITE WORKERS SEYMOUR". The Bridgeport Post. March 17, 1973.
- "PARREL TO HEAD CHAMBER UNIT ANSONIA". The Bridgeport Post. May 23, 1968.
- "Valley United Fund Names Industry Division Head". Naugatuck Daily News. August 5, 1968.
- "Valley United Fund Names Industry Division Head". Naugatuck Daily News. August 5, 1968.
- "Petersen Family History". RootsWeb.
- "George Cogswell Spencer". Find A Grave.