Librarian of the United States Congress, born in Gilmanton, NH, September 1825. He was a bookseller and publisher in Cincinnati; became editor there of the Daily Commercial in 1859; assistant librarian of Congress in 1861; was appointed librarian in 1865; published his Library of Choice Literature in 1881, and was editor of the American Almanac, published annually for many years. To Mr. Spofford is due the important legal reform of 1870, through which copyrights are issued from the national capital instead of from the offices of district clerks. When he took charge of the library it contained about 70,000 volumes; the number in 1895 was over 700,000 volumes, besides about 250,000 pamphlets. In addition to the works mentioned, he published Library of Historic Characters and Famous Events (1894) and a Practical Manual of Parliamentary Law (1884).
