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Ben Spoor

1878 – 1928

British politician

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About Ben Spoor

Lived 1878 – 1928 (aged 50). Ben Spoor was a British politician.

Benjamin Charles Spoor (2 June 1878 – 22 December 1928), OBE, was a British Labour Party politician. He took a particular interest in India.

Born in Witton Park, County Durham, he went to Elmfield College, York, and came from a family of Primitive Methodists. An engineer by training, he later went into business as a builder's merchant. Before entering politics, he was a lay preacher in the Methodist Church.

At the 1918 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland, and held the seat until his death at the age of fifty. In Parliament, he found himself at odds with many Labour MPs and contemplated joining the Liberal Party. He was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip in 1924, when he was made a Privy Councillor.

He had suffered from poor health since contracting malaria at Salonika during World War I. On a visit to London in December 1928, he was found dead in bed at the Regent Palace Hotel. At the inquest, his son said that his father had taken to drinking heavily. His death, it was decided, was due to syncope from disease of the heart and liver, due to chronic alcoholism.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Positions held
Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Member of the 34th Parliament of the United Kingdom, Member of the 33rd Parliament of the United Kingdom, Member of the 32nd Parliament of the United Kingdom
Also known as
Benjamin Charles Spoor

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ben Spoor's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ben Spoor?

British politician (1878-1928)

When was Ben Spoor born?

Ben Spoor was born on 2 June 1878 in Witton Park.

When did Ben Spoor die?

Ben Spoor died on 22 December 1928.

What was Ben Spoor's occupation?

Ben Spoor was a politician.

What nationality was Ben Spoor?

Ben Spoor was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ben Spoor

· Wikidata: Q4886500

· DBpedia: Ben Spoor

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ben Spoor. https://biography.guide/ben-spoor/

MLA: "Ben Spoor." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ben-spoor/.

Chicago: "Ben Spoor." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ben-spoor/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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