Henry Wilbur Palmer (July 10, 1839 – February 15, 1913) was aRepublican member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania. Henry Palmer was the father ofBradley Palmer, a Boston lawyer known for his involvement withUnited Fruit Company,Gillette, andITT Corporation.
Henry W. Palmer was born inClifford Township, Pennsylvania on July 10, 1839[1] to Gideon Palmer, who moved to Pennsylvania from Massachusetts in 1836.[2] He attendedWyoming Seminary inKingston, Pennsylvania, andFort Edward Institute inFort Edward, New York. He graduated from theNational Law School inPoughkeepsie, New York, in 1860.
In 1861 he was admitted to the bar inPeekskill, New York, and inWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1861. He served as prothonotary's clerk in 1861, and served in the pay department of theUnion Army atNew Orleans in 1862 and 1863. He was a member of the constitutional convention of Pennsylvania in 1872 and 1873, and served as attorney general of the State in 1879 through 1883.
Palmer was elected as a Republican to theFifty-seventh,Fifty-eighth, andFifty-ninth Congresses. He was one of the managers appointed by theUnited States House of Representatives in 1905 to conduct the impeachment proceedings againstCharles Swayne, judge of the United States Court for the Northern District ofFlorida. He was again elected to theSixty-first Congress. He practiced law until his death in Wilkes-Barre on February 15, 1913.[1] He was interred in Hollenback Cemetery.
Henry Palmer married Ellen Webster in September 1861.Ellen W. Palmer was an important social reformer of the late nineteenth century, particularly known for her work in securing fair pay forbreaker boys inLuzerne County, Pennsylvania.[3]
Palmer had six children, two sons and four daughters. Their eldest son,Bradley Palmer, was an important Boston lawyer who helped formUnited Fruit Company,Gillette, andITT Corporation. He served on the board of directors for these and many other companies as well as representing PresidentWoodrow Wilson at theParis Peace Conference.[4]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 12th congressional district 1901–1903 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 11th congressional district 1903–1907 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 11th congressional district 1909–1911 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Pennsylvania 1879–1883 | Succeeded by |
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