Spender,the former husband of fashion designer Carla Zampatti and the father of independent MP Allegra Spender and fashion designer Bianca Spender,was a long-serving Liberal who earlier this year endorsed his daughter’s successful bid to win the blue-ribbon seat of Wentworth.
He was also known as one of the “principled” members of federal parliament who defended journalist Laurie Oakes against claims of contempt of parliament for claiming there were “drunks and bludgers” in the chamber.
John Spender in 1986 with his then wife Carla Zampatti and children Bianca,Alexander and Allegra.Ian Charles Cugley
“He is someone who reflected on the world,always questioned it,loved good conversation and was gracious to the end,” Allegra Spender said in a statement late on Friday.
“He was warm and generous,amusing and a good friend.”
The son of Liberal cabinet minister Sir Percy Spender and novelist Lady Jean Spender,he was born in Sydney in 1935 and educated at Cranbrook School before heading to Yale University when his father was ambassador to the United States in the 1950s.
After almost two decades as a barrister,he entered federal parliament in 1980 as the member for North Sydney and rose to the shadow ministry under Liberal leaders Andrew Peacock and John Howard.
He crossed the floor to vote with Labor in favour of reimbursing witnesses who appeared at the National Crimes Commission and also broke with some of his colleagues in defending Oakes in 1981 when the journalist wrote about the declining standards of politicians in a newspaper column.
Offended politicians argued the parliament was “the most sober working place anywhere in this country” but Oakes later recalled that Spender helped to blunt the attacks.
“Fortunately I had the backing of a few principled MPs,including John Spender,who had been a prominent lawyer before entering parliament,”.
Spender lost the seat of North Sydney in 1990 when challenged by Ted Mack,one of the fore-runners of today’s independents. He was named ambassador to France in 1996,after Howard led the Liberals to victory at the election that year,and held the post for four years.
Spender was married to Zampatti for 30 years until their divorce in 2010.
He is survived by his wife,Catherine,his daughters Bianca and Allegra and their partners Sam and Mark,his stepson Alex Schuman and five grandchildren.
Spender’s family thanked the staff of St Vincent’s Private Hospital for caring for him and quoted one of his remarks when he knew he only had a few days left:“The coffee better be good today.”
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