One of the most outspoken members of the far-right movement in the United States is Richard Spencer. Spencer is one of the people who is stoking the fire of the far right and white supremacists in the United States. But where did he come from? It feels like he just suddenly appeared on the political stage. Who is Richard Spencer? We’ve decided to do some research and find out. We’ll take a look at Richard Spencer’s life, his politics, a look at some of Richard Spencer’s speeches, and look at Richard Spencer’s wife.
The Early Years
Richard Bertrand Spencer was born on May 11, 1978, in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was an ophthalmologist and his mother was the heir of an heiress to cotton farms. He grew up in Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas, where he attended elementary and high school. He followed up his public schooling by going to the University of Virginia, where he gained a BA in English Literature and Music. He followed that with earning his M.A. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. Spencer would begin a PHD at Duke University but, according to his website, he left “to pursue a life of thought-crime,” which apparently means becoming an ultraconservative.
The Rise of Hate
Spencer began his career in the right-wing pulpit as an assistant editor for The American Conservative magazine from March to December of 2007, at which point he was fired for being too extreme in his views. This would be followed by a stretch at Taki’s Magazine January 2008 to December 2009, another right-wing website.
Eventually, in 2010, Spencer formed AlternativeRight.com, a platform to express his extreme views. He has even been credited with creating the term “alt-right.” In 2012, he founded the Radix Journal (a biannual publication) and began to host a weekly podcast. All of this culminated in 2011 with Spencer becoming the president of the National Policy Institute, a white supremacist think tank.
What Richard Has Said
Over the years, Spencer has said and done the following things:
- While attending a National Policy Institute conference, Spencer quoted Nazi propaganda, as well as denounced the Jews.
- January 20, 2017, Spencer attended Trump’s inauguration.
- On February 23, 2017, Spencer was kicked out of the Conservative Political Action Conference. A CPAC representative told the press that Spencer was removed from the event because other members found him “repugnant.”
- Spencer advocates for “a White Ethno-State on the American continent.”
- Under Spencer’s presidency, the NPI has published books that are “scientifically backed” about “Race Differences in Intelligence” and “The Perils of Diversity.”
- Spencer was one of the main organizers of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. During this rally, Spencer lead a tiki torch march. The rally was marked by the large white supremacist presence as well as a level of violence that ended up leaving at least one person dead.
Private Life
Richard Spencer lives in Whitefish, Montana (a number of his business list Whitefish as their base of operations), much to the unhappiness of most of the local residents. There have been a few town council meetings and things done in order to ensure that while he may live in the town, his particular brand of hatred is not welcome there. Spencer is married to a woman named Nina Kouprianova. In 2016, the pair were listed as separated but in 2017, Spencer said that they were not separated and were still together. The truth, depending on what interview you read, seems to be a little bit of both. The couple seems separated but raise their young child together. In terms of net worth, Spencer’s holdings aren’t exactly public knowledge but it is known that his family cotton farms do quite well.
