Spencer Cobb

Spencer Lamar Cobb (July 7, 1916 – January 1, 1962) was an American politician and member of the Kentucky Senate from Kentucky's 22nd Senate district, which at the time comprised Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, and Woodford counties.

He is noted for having the shortest tenure of any member of the Kentucky General Assembly, serving for only three and a half hours before his death on New Year's Day in 1962.

Early life and education Spencer Lamar Cobb was born in Jessamine County, Kentucky, to Meritt and Virginia (Burdine) Cobb. His father was a well known farmer in Lebanon. Spencer attended Nicholasville High School, where he was active in athletics and played fullback for the school's football team. On May 9, 1935, Cobb married Hazel Warner.

Father's murder On July 13, 1936, Lindsey Warner, Spencer's father-in-law, shot and killed Spencer's father. In 1953, Cobb was speculated as a candidate again for judge/executive of Jessamine County, but ultimately did not run. In 1955, he resigned from his position to serve as director of safety and personal for the Hughes Transportation Company. Sternberg was a personal friend and factional ally of former governor Happy Chandler, while Cobb aligned himself with Governor Bert Combs. Cobb won the 1961 Democratic primary with 8,047 votes (54.6%), winning all counties in the district except Mercer, and was unopposed in the 1961 Kentucky Senate election that November.

Death On December 23, 1961, Cobb suffered his third heart attack in four months while attending a college basketball game between Kansas State and Kentucky in Lexington. He was subsequently admitted to Central Baptist Hospital, where he remained for eight days. He suffered another heart attack on the morning of January 1, 1962, after which Governor Combs traveled to Lexington in order to administer Cobb the oath of office at 10 a.m. in his hospital bed. While talking with a nurse, Cobb died at 1:30 p.m.

Funeral services were conducted on January 4, and he was buried at the Cobb family cemetery in Jessamine County. Among his pallbearers was congressman John C. Watts.

Combs called for a special election to be held on January 27. She won the special election with no Republican opposition, and was sworn into office on January 29 by Combs. She served as member of the Kentucky Senate until the end of her term in January 1966.