Stuart Krieg Spencer (né Murphy; February 20, 1927 – January 12, 2025) was an American political consultant.[1] As co-founder of Spencer-Roberts, he and his firm have managed over 400 Republican political campaigns.
Life and career
Stuart Murphy was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 20, 1927.[2] His father abandoned the family, and Stuart's surname was changed to Spencer after his mother re-married, to California dentist A. Kenneth Spencer.[2] Spencer served in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946, and then graduated from the East Los Angeles Junior College with an Associate of Arts, and from California State University, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology in 1951.[2]
Career
Spencer-Roberts & Associates, Inc., was established in California in 1960 with Bill Roberts.[2] They were among the first professional campaign managers. In 1962, he managed Tom Kuchel's campaign for United States Senate in California.[3] After that, he managed Nelson Rockefeller's presidential campaign of 1964,[2] and Don Riegle's run for Congress, Michigan, in 1966.[citation needed]
He ran Ronald Reagan's gubernatorial campaign in California in 1966.[4][5] That year, Reagan told Spencer that "Politics is just like show business. You have a hell of an opening, coast for a while, and then have a hell of a close." He also ran Reagan's gubernatorial campaign in 1970, and his presidential campaigns in 1980 and 1984.[6]
Stuart Spencer became the sole owner of Spencer-Roberts in 1974. In 1976 he served as Deputy Chairman for Political Organization in Gerald Ford's presidential re-election campaign. When he served as Reagan's campaign manager in 1980, he suggested that he choose George H. W. Bush as his running mate, but later recounted that Reagan wasn't keen on the idea, apparently because Reagan didn't like Bush.[citation needed]
In 1985, his firm allegedly received over $350,000 to run the Panamanian presidential campaign of Eric Delvalle, and in 1988 he was assigned to improve Dan Quayle's image.[citation needed]
Spencer's daughter, Karen, joined Spencer-Roberts in 1989 and expanded the firm's roles into public policy, avocation, and political strategic planning. She registered as a California state lobbyist and as a federal lobbyist in Washington, DC.[citation needed]
^Totton J. Anderson, and Eugene C. Lee, "The 1962 Election in California." Western Political Quarterly 16.2 (1963): 396−420.
^Totton J. Anderson, and Eugene C. Lee, "The 1966 election in California." Western Political Quarterly 20.2_part2 (1967): 535−554.
^* McKenna, Kevin. "The 'Total Campaign': How Ronald Reagan Overwhelmingly Won the California Gubernatorial Election of 1966." (PhD Diss. Columbia University, 2010) online.
^Totton J. Anderson, and Charles G. Bell, "The 1970 Election in California." Western Political Quarterly 24.2 (1971): 252−273.
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