Lorillard S. Spencer | |
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Spencer circa 1918
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Born |
Lorillard Suydam Spencer July 4, 1883 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
Died | June 9, 1939 Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
(aged 55)
Title | President of Atlantic Aircraft |
Spouse(s) |
Mary Ridgeley Sands (m. 1905; div. 1922) Katherine Emmons Force (m. 1922; his death 1939) |
Children |
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Parent(s) | Lorillard Spencer Caroline Berryman Spencer |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1918 |
Rank | Commander |
Battles/wars | Battle of Champagne-Argonne |
Lorillard Suydam Spencer Sr. (July 4, 1883 - June 9, 1939) was president of Atlantic Aircraft and was prominent in Newport, Rhode Island society. He served as the military secretary to Charles Seymour Whitman, the New York Governor.
He was born on July 4, 1883 in Manhattan, New York to Lorillard Spencer and Caroline Suydam Berryman, a granddaughter of Stephen Whitney of New York. Caroline would later become a missionary in the Philippines.
He married his first wife, Mary Ridgeley Sands (1885–1936), on September 19, 1905 at Trinity Church in Manhattan, New York City. They divorced in March 1922. They had one son together named Lorillard Jr. (June 11, 1906 – August 27, 1981).
On December 16, 1910, he was elected as the temporary chairman of the New York City Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
During World War I, he was the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 15th New York Infantry. In September 1918, during the Battle of Champagne-Argonne, he was stuck six times by German machine gun fire. Severely wounded, he was sent home to recover. For his bravery, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour. The latter was presented to him in July 1919 by Ambassador Jean Jules Jusserand. When the men of the 3rd Battalion returned home after the war, he was there to greet them, his fractured leg still in a sling.