Edward Augustus Spowers was the youngest of the eleven children of James Spowers (1813-1879) and Fanny Clendon Howard (1837-1912). At his death James was general manager and one of the proprietors of the Argus, and a partner in the firm of Ross & Spowers, merchants. Edward was born on 6 January 1875 at South Yarra. He was privately educated before studying medicine at Melbourne University. In 1903 he took over the practice and residence of retiring doctor, Dr. Courtenay, at Valetta, 206 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne. He was to remain there until his death in 1940.
He applied for a commission on 26 February 1916 and was accepted into the Australian Army Medical Corps on 8 May 1917. He embarked five days later on H.M.A.T. Shropshire, disembarking at Plymouth on 19 July 1917. He was briefly at the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford before proceeding overseas to France on 15 August 1917 where he was posted to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station at Brandhoek, but returned to England and Dartford in February the following year. He embarked for return to Australia on 28 May 1919 and quickly resumed his medical practice in East Melbourne
He married Beryl Marguerite Hamilton Loughnan in 1920. She was exactly twenty years his junior. They had no children.
His brother, Lt. Allan Spowers, served with the East Lancashire Regiment, and was wounded three times.