Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer

Vice-Admiral Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer KG CB PC (April 14, 1798 1798 – December 27, 1857) was a British peer, the son of George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer and the younger brother and successor of John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer.

Spencer was born in 1798, at the Admiralty Building, London and was baptised in St Martin-in-the-Fields. He was educated at Eton College from 1808 to 1811, then joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman. He eventually rose to the rank of Captain in 1822 and was awarded several honours from various European countries for fighting in the Napoleonic Wars in the Mediterranean between 1811 and 1815. These were: Knight of the Order of St Louis of France (1828), the Order of St Anne of Russia (1828) and the Order of the Redeemer of Greece (1828).

He then retired from naval life and became Whig MP for Worcestershire (1831–1832) and Midhurst (1832–1834 & 1837–1841). He was later an equerry in the household of the Duchess of Kent (Queen Victoria's mother) from 1840 to 1845.

On 23 February 1830, he married his cousin, Georgiana Poyntz (1799–1851) and they had three children:

On August 9, 1854, he married secondly, Adlaide Seymour (1825–1877), a great-granddaughter of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford and they had two children:

Spencer was also noteworthy for being the first President of the Roxburghe Club, widely-regarded as the world's first book club.

Political offices
Preceded by: The Earl De La Warr	Lord Chamberlain 1846–1848	Succeeded by: The Marquess of Breadalbane
Preceded by: The Duke of Norfolk	Lord Steward 1854–1857	Succeeded by: The Earl of St Germans
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by: John Spencer	Earl Spencer 1845–1857	Succeeded by: John Spencer