George Eliphaz Spencer (November 1, 1836 February 19, 1893) was a U.S. senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 from the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

.

Born in Champion, New York

Champion, New York

Champion is a town in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 4,494 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General Henry Champion, early owner.The Town of Champion is in the southern part of the county and is east of Watertown....

, he was educated at Montreal College in Canada. After relocating to Iowa he engaged in the study of law. During the Civil War, he enlisted as a captain on October 16, 1862. While serving on the staff of Brigadier-General Grenville M. Dodge, he requested a transfer to the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Union)

1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Union)

The 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment recruited from Southern Unionists that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...

, a volunteer regiment made up of Southern Unionist

Southern Unionist

In the United States, Southern Unionists were people living in the Confederate States of America, opposed to secession, and against the Civil War. These people are also referred to as Southern Loyalists, Union Loyalists, and Lincoln Loyalists...

s, which did not have a permanent commander. Receiving a promotion to colonel, he led the regiment from September 11, 1863 till his resignation on July 5, 1865.

After the war, he returned to Alabama to practice law. For a time he served as register in bankruptcy for the fourth district of Alabama. Elected as a Republican

Alabama Republican Party

The Alabama Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Alabama. It is the dominant political party in Alabama. The state party is governed by the Alabama Republican Executive Committee. Most of the committee's more than 200 members are elected in district...

 to the United states Senate upon readmission of Alabama to the Union

Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...

, he served from July 13, 1868 to March 4, 1879.

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