Franklin Harford Spence

Franklin Harford Spence
Ontario MPP
In office 1937–1943
Preceded by	Joseph Edmund Crawford
Succeeded by	Garfield Anderson
In office 1923–1934
Preceded by	Harry Mills
Succeeded by	Joseph Edmund Crawford
Constituency	Fort William
Personal details
Born	(1883-02-22)February 22, 1883
Died	January 16, 1943(1943-01-16) (aged 59)
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Ethel Greve McCarthy ​ ​ (m. 1907)​

Franklin Harford Spence (February 22, 1883- January 16, 1943) was an Ontario pharmacist and political figure. He represented Fort William in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1923 to 1934 and from 1937 to 1943 as a Conservative member. He defeated UFO-Labor cabinet minister Harry (Henry) Mills in the 1923 election, was re-elected in December 1926 and again in October 1929, chiefly because of the popularity of Ontario premier Howard Ferguson - "A vote for Spence is a vote for Ferguson," he advertised. He played a subordinate role to other Conservative party heavyweights from Northern Ontario, Donald McDonald Hogarth and Francis Henry Keefer. He was defeated by Liberal Joseph Edmund Crawford in the June 1934 election, but won the seat again in October 1937 when the Liberal vote split between the official candidate Harry Murphy and the Independent Liberal Crawford.

He was the son of James Edward Spence and was educated in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and at Toronto University. In 1907, he married Ethel Greve McCarthy. Spence served on the Fort William city council 1921-1923 for Ward 4 (West Fort).

References

• Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1925, EJ Chambers
• F. Brent Scollie, Thunder Bay Mayors & Councillors 1873-1945 (Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, 2000), 238–239.

External links

• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history (archived)