Philip Spencer
| Philip Spencer | |
|---|---|
Philip Spencer by Blendon Campbell, courtesy of the Union College Permanent Collection
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| Born |
January 28, 1823 Canandaigua, New York |
| Died | December 1, 1842 (aged 19) Atlantic Ocean, aboard USS Somers |
| Occupation | Sailor |
| Criminal charge | Plan to mutiny |
| Criminal penalty | Death by hanging |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Parent(s) | John C. Spencer |
Philip Spencer (January 28, 1823 – December 1, 1842), a midshipman aboard the USS Somers, was hanged for mutiny without a lawful court-martial. He was the son of John C. Spencer, Secretary of War in U.S. President John Tyler's administration, and the grandson of Ambrose Spencer, a New York politician and lawyer.
Spencer was born in Canandaigua, New York. He was described as handsome, despite a "wandering eye" (possibly strabismus) which surgery was unable to correct. As a youth at Geneva College (now Hobart College), he was considered wild and uncontrollable despite displaying signs of high intelligence. His favorite reading matter was pirate stories.
After an abortive stay at Union College – where he was a founder of the Chi Psi Fraternity – Spencer ran away and signed on a whaler at Nantucket. His father located him and convinced him that if a life on the sea was what he wanted, to live it as "a gentleman"; i.e., as a commissioned officer.
As Secretary of War, it was easy for Spencer's father to procure his son a midshipman's commission. Spencer proved to be just as intractable as ever, assaulting a superior officer aboard the USS North Carolina twice while under the influence of alcohol. Reassigned to the USS John Adams, he was involved in a drunken brawl with a Royal Navy officer while on shore leave in Rio de Janeiro. He was allowed to resign rather than face court-martial, but due to his father's position in the Cabinet, his resignation was not accepted. Instead, he was posted to the USS Somers.
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