James C. Spencer
Encyclopedia
James Clarence Spencer was a survivor of the Bataan Death March
during World War II
and a Democratic
politician
from Athens
, the seat of Henderson County
in east Texas.
, and the former Lillian Freeman. At the age of twenty-four, he entered the Texas House of Representatives
, serving two nonconsecutive terms from 1939–1941 and 1947–1949. Spencer also served a term as the Henderson county judge, but his obituary does not clarify his dates of service in that position.
medic
, who attained the rank of sergeant
. He was held as a prisoner of war
for three years in the Philippine Islands, after having survived the notorious Bataan Death March. Spencer told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
in a 2008 interview that his captivity occurred during "a time of scarcity. Three years of near starvation with only meager rations of rice."
The march involved the forced transfer to prison camps of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners, including later Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos
, who had been captured by the Japanese in April 1942 at the Bataan Peninsula
. The emaciated prisoners were compelled to march sixty miles in tropical heat without food and medication. Only 54,000 survived the nearly week-long march, characterized by extreme physical abuse inflicted on the men by their captors. Spencer said that he survived the march because of his "belief in Christ and determination." He indicated that he would again undergo such brutality to "help my country."
For his meritorious service, Spencer was awarded the Bronze Star. He was an active member of the Hub of the Plains chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War
.
, Texas. Her parents, William Elias Cox and the former Mary Ida Clay, were rural schoolteachers who reared their family in Henderson County. James and Katy first met when they were nine years old at a spelling bee
in Athens, Texas, and then again in a chemistry
class at Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
, where both were students.
From a previous marriage to the former Oneita Hildebrand, Spencer had a son, Charles H. Spencer (born 1954), who is married to Anita Spencer, of Houston
, Texas. James and Oneita Spencer lived in Texarkana, but the obituary does not indicate whether their residence was in Texas or Arkansas
or how long they lived there. In 1936, Spencer received a degree in textile engineering from Texas Tech, presumably motivated by cotton which was then prevalent in east Texas. Nine years later upon his discharge from the military in 1945, Spencer served on the police force of the U.S. House of Representatives while he attended law school at Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C. His obituary does not indicate if he received a law degree. With his second marriage, he moved to Lubbock to take a position with the U.S. Postal Service, which he held until his retirement in the middle 1980s. He was a member of the Masonic lodge
.
From her previous marriage, Katy Spencer had a daughter, Ann (a 1962 graduate of Texas Tech). Katy Spencer graduated from Texas Tech in 1934 at the age of nineteen with a degree in chemistry. She had a long career as a medical technologist, much of it at the Methodist Hospital in Lubbock, but also earlier at the Ragland Clinic in Gilmer
in Upshur County
, Texas.
James and Katy Spencer were married just a few days short of fifty-one years. He died on Christmas Day 2009 in Lubbock, and she followed him in death some fifteen months later. They were members of the United Methodist church and are interred at Resthaven Cemetery in Lubbock.
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Athens
Athens, Texas
Athens is a city in Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,710. It is the county seat of Henderson County. According to the Texas Legislature, Athens is the "Original Home of the Hamburger"...
, the seat of Henderson County
Henderson County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 35,935 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
in east Texas.
Background
Spencer was born in Athens, the fifth of six children and the last surviving offspring, of Charles Augustus Spencer, a veteran of the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, and the former Lillian Freeman. At the age of twenty-four, he entered the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
, serving two nonconsecutive terms from 1939–1941 and 1947–1949. Spencer also served a term as the Henderson county judge, but his obituary does not clarify his dates of service in that position.
Bataan Death March
Between his state legislative terms, Spencer was a United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
medic
Medic
Medic is a general term for a person involved in medicine, especially emergency or first-response medicine, such as an emergency medical technician, paramedic, or a military member trained in battlefield medicine. Also the term is used toward a Nurse in pre-hospital care and/or emergency...
, who attained the rank of sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. He was held as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
for three years in the Philippine Islands, after having survived the notorious Bataan Death March. Spencer told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is a newspaper based in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. It is owned by the Morris Communications Company.-History:The Lubbock Avalanche was founded in 1900 by John James Dillard and Thad Tubbs. According to Dillard, the name "Avalanche" was chosen due to his desire that the...
in a 2008 interview that his captivity occurred during "a time of scarcity. Three years of near starvation with only meager rations of rice."
The march involved the forced transfer to prison camps of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners, including later Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
, who had been captured by the Japanese in April 1942 at the Bataan Peninsula
Bataan Peninsula
The Bataan Peninsula is a rocky extension of the Zambales Mountains, on Luzon in the Philippines. It separates the Manila Bay from the South China Sea...
. The emaciated prisoners were compelled to march sixty miles in tropical heat without food and medication. Only 54,000 survived the nearly week-long march, characterized by extreme physical abuse inflicted on the men by their captors. Spencer said that he survived the march because of his "belief in Christ and determination." He indicated that he would again undergo such brutality to "help my country."
For his meritorious service, Spencer was awarded the Bronze Star. He was an active member of the Hub of the Plains chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War
American Ex-Prisoners of War
Prisoners of War is a service organization that aims to assist the surviving U.S. military prisoner of war , particularly those who are elderly and those who have medical problems. Based in Arlington, Texas, the American Ex-Prisoners of War was founded in 1942. It received a congressional charter...
.
Family life
In January 1959, Spencer married the former Catherine Clay Cox (November 4, 1914—March 10, 2011), or "Katy," a native of DallasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas. Her parents, William Elias Cox and the former Mary Ida Clay, were rural schoolteachers who reared their family in Henderson County. James and Katy first met when they were nine years old at a spelling bee
Spelling bee
A spelling bee is a competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell English words. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States....
in Athens, Texas, and then again in a chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
class at Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, where both were students.
From a previous marriage to the former Oneita Hildebrand, Spencer had a son, Charles H. Spencer (born 1954), who is married to Anita Spencer, of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas. James and Oneita Spencer lived in Texarkana, but the obituary does not indicate whether their residence was in Texas or Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
or how long they lived there. In 1936, Spencer received a degree in textile engineering from Texas Tech, presumably motivated by cotton which was then prevalent in east Texas. Nine years later upon his discharge from the military in 1945, Spencer served on the police force of the U.S. House of Representatives while he attended law school at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C. His obituary does not indicate if he received a law degree. With his second marriage, he moved to Lubbock to take a position with the U.S. Postal Service, which he held until his retirement in the middle 1980s. He was a member of the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
.
From her previous marriage, Katy Spencer had a daughter, Ann (a 1962 graduate of Texas Tech). Katy Spencer graduated from Texas Tech in 1934 at the age of nineteen with a degree in chemistry. She had a long career as a medical technologist, much of it at the Methodist Hospital in Lubbock, but also earlier at the Ragland Clinic in Gilmer
Gilmer, Texas
Gilmer is also the name of a county in West Virginia.Gilmer is a town in and the county seat of Upshur County, Texas, United States. It is best known for being the birthplace of popular music singer Johnny Mathis. The population was 4,799 at the 2000 census...
in Upshur County
Upshur County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,291 people, 13,290 households, and 10,033 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile . There were 14,930 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
, Texas.
James and Katy Spencer were married just a few days short of fifty-one years. He died on Christmas Day 2009 in Lubbock, and she followed him in death some fifteen months later. They were members of the United Methodist church and are interred at Resthaven Cemetery in Lubbock.