Born in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, in 1853 he joined his brother Thomas in Hilo in the ship chandler trade.

[1] On the island of Hawaii, Charles and Thomas ran a general mercantile store, operated a sugar cane business, and engaged in the exporting of sugarcane and pulu.

Charles eventually formed a partnership with John Smith Walker and William G. Irwin, a business associate of Claus Spreckels, to operate the Hilea Sugar Plantation.

[9] Kalākaua installed a new cabinet on July 17, 1890, naming Spencer to replace Lorrin A. Thurston as Minister of the Interior.

[3] He was a right royal entertainer and had an agreeable and unaffected manner, and a stranger forming his acquaintance was at once made to feel at ease ...