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William Adams Palmer
13th Governor of Vermont
In office October 18, 1831 – November 2, 1835
Lieutenant	Lebbeus Egerton
Preceded by	Samuel C. Crafts
Succeeded by	Silas H. Jennison
United States Senator from Vermont
In office October 20, 1818 – March 3, 1825
Preceded by	James Fisk
Succeeded by	Dudley Chase
Member of the Vermont Senate
In office 1836–1838Serving with John Beckwith (1836), Joseph H. Ingalls (1837)
Preceded by	None (position created)
Succeeded by	Robert Harvey, Andrew McMillan
Constituency	Caledonia County
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
In office 1816–1817
Preceded by	James Fisk
Succeeded by	William Brayton
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Danville
In office 1825–1827
Preceded by	Augustine Clarke
Succeeded by	William A. Griswold
In office 1818–1819
Preceded by	William A. Griswold
Succeeded by	William A. Griswold
In office 1811–1813
Preceded by	William A. Griswold
Succeeded by	William A. Griswold
Probate Judge of Caledonia County, Vermont
In office 1811–1817
Preceded by	John W. Chandler
Succeeded by	John W. Chandler
In office 1808–1809
Preceded by	John W. Chandler
Succeeded by	John W. Chandler
County Clerk of Caledonia County, Vermont
In office 1808–1816
Preceded by	Elkanah Phelps
Succeeded by	Curtis Stanley
Personal details
Born	(1781-09-12)September 12, 1781 Hebron, Connecticut, US
Died	December 3, 1860(1860-12-03) (aged 79) Danville, Vermont, US
Resting place	Danville Green Cemetery, Danville, Vermont, US
Political party	Democratic-Republican National Republican Anti-Masonic Democratic
Spouse	Sarah Chandler Blanchard (m. 1813-1853, her death)
Relations	Augustine Clarke (brother-in-law)
Children	7
Profession	Attorney

William Adams Palmer (September 12, 1781 – December 3, 1860) was an American lawyer and politician. A prominent of the Anti-Masonic Party in the 1830s, he was most notable for his service as a United States Senator from Vermont (1818–1825) and the 13th governor of Vermont (1831–1835).

A native of Hebron, Connecticut, Palmer studied law in Hebron before moving to Chelsea, Vermont, where he completed his studies and attained admission to the bar in 1805. He resided in several Vermont towns and attempted to establish a law practice before settling on Danville.

Palmer became active in politics as a Democratic-Republican and served in offices including probate judge of Caledonia County. He was also Danville's member of the Vermont House of Representatives on several occasions. From 1816 to 1817, he served as second associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.

In 1818, Palmer was elected to the United States Senate. He served until 1825, and during his term the Democratic-Republicans began to split into adherents of John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay, known as the National Republican Party and Andrew Jackson, knows as the Democratic Party. Palmer became affiliated with the National Republicans.

In 1829, Palmer was an organizer of America's first third party, the Anti-Masonic Party. The Anti-Masons opposed secret societies, especially Masons, who they argued controlled several institutions including the government in defiance of democratic principles. The Anti-Masonic movement was especially strong in Vermont, and in 1831, Palmer was elected governor. He was reelected each year through 1834, and served from October 1831 to October 1835.

After leaving the governorship, Palmer farmed and practiced law in Danville. He served in the Vermont Senate from 1836 to 1838. Palmer died in Danville on December 3, 1860, and was buried at Danville Green Cemetery in Danville.

Biography

Palmer was born in Hebron, Connecticut, on September 12, 1781, the son of Stephen Palmer and Susannah (Sawyer) Palmer. He was a descendant of Walter Palmer, a founder of Charlestown, Massachusetts, and New London, Connecticut. During childhood, he lost part of one hand in an accident when he slipped and fell on ice while carrying an axe. He completed his elementary education in Hebron, studied law in Hebron with John Thompson Peters, later a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, and then with Daniel Buck in Chelsea, Vermont. Palmer was admitted to the bar in 1805 and practiced in Brownington, Derby, and St. Johnsbury before settling in Danville.

Career

Palmer was elected Probate Judge for Caledonia County from 1808 to 1809, and from 1811 to 1817. He was clerk of the county court from 1808 to 1816. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1811 to 1813, 1818 to 1819, and 1825 to 1827. From 1816 to 1817, he served as second associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, succeeding James Fisk, who was appointed first associate justice. In 1817, Palmer declined appointment as first associate justice and was succeeded as second associate by William Brayton. In 1817 Palmer received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the University of Vermont.

In 1818, Palmer was elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Fisk; was re-elected and served from October 20, 1818, until March 3, 1825; first as a Democratic-Republican and from 1823 as a National Republican. He then returned to the state House of Representatives and to the position of judge. He was also a delegate to the Vermont State Constitutional conventions in 1828, 1836, and 1850.

Palmer organized the first convention of Vermont's Anti-Masonic Party in Montpelier in 1829. He was elected Governor of Vermont in 1831 on the Anti-Masonic ticket and stayed in office until 1835. He proposed the 1833 law that any person administering a secret oath in any organization such as the Masons would be fined, and advocated the 1834 law to suspend the charter of Vermont's Grand Lodge. During his tenure, imprisonment of females for debt was abolished, fourteen new schools were established, seven new banks were chartered, and legislation was enacted to expand the railway system.

Palmer retired to his farm, but continued to be politically active. As a Democrat, he was elected to the Vermont Senate in 1836 and he served until 1838.

Death

Palmer died in Danville on December 3, 1860. He was buried at Danville Green Cemetery in Danville.

Family

In 1813, Palmer married Sarah Chandler Blanchard of Danville. They were the parents of seven children. Five survived to adulthood, including William B., Abial C., Henry W., Frank R., and Edward.

References

1. ^ Who Was Who In America. Vol. Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago, IL: A. N. Marquis Company. 1963. p. 144 – via Google Books.
2. Brown, John Howard. The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. The Biographical Society, 1904.
3. ^ Child, Hamilton (1887). Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, VT., 1764-1887. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse Journal Company. pp. 37–38, 185 – via Google Books.
4. Deming, Leonard (1851). Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont. Middlebury, Vermont: L. Deming. pp. 25–29 – via Google Books.
5. ^ Brayton, William (1821). Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Supreme Court of the State of Vermont. Middlebury, Vermont: Copeland and Allen. p. v – via Google Books.
6. University of Vermont (1854). "Honorary Alumni". Triennial Catalogue of the University of Vermont. Burlington, Vermont: Free Press Print. p. 43 – via Google Books.
7. ^ "William A. Palmer". National Governors Association. Retrieved October 31, 2012.

External links

• Vermont State Archives
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• National Governors Association
• The Political Graveyard
• William A. Palmer at Find a Grave

v t e United States senators from Vermont
Class 1	M. Robinson Tichenor Chipman Smith J. Robinson Tichenor Seymour Swift Phelps Foot Edmunds Proctor Stewart Page Greene Partridge Austin Flanders Prouty Stafford Jeffords Sanders
Class 3	Bradley Paine Bradley Chase Fisk Palmer Chase Prentiss Crafts Upham Phelps Brainerd Collamer Poland Morrill Ross Dillingham Dale Gibson Sr. Gibson Jr. Aiken Leahy Welch

v t e Governors of Vermont
Vermont Republic (1777–1791)	Chittenden Robinson Chittenden
State of Vermont (since 1791)	Chittenden Brigham Tichenor I. Smith Tichenor Galusha M. Chittenden Galusha Skinner Van Ness Butler Crafts Palmer Jennison Paine Mattocks Slade Eaton Coolidge Williams E. Fairbanks Robinson Royce Fletcher Hall E. Fairbanks Holbrook G. Smith P. Dillingham Page Washburn Hendee Stewart Converse Peck H. Fairbanks R. Proctor Sr. Farnham Barstow Pingree Ormsbee W.P. Dillingham Page Fuller Woodbury Grout E. Smith Stickney McCullough Bell F. Proctor Prouty Mead Fletcher Gates Graham Clement Hartness R. Proctor Jr. Billings Weeks Wilson C. Smith Aiken Wills M. Proctor Gibson Arthur Emerson Johnson Stafford Keyser Hoff Davis Salmon Snelling Kunin Snelling Dean Douglas Shumlin Scott
Italics indicate acting governor

• 1781 births
• 1860 deaths
• People from Hebron, Connecticut
• People from Danville, Vermont
• American people of English descent
• Members of the Vermont House of Representatives
• Vermont state senators
• Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Vermont
• National Republican Party United States senators from Vermont
• Vermont Democratic-Republicans
• Vermont Democrats
• Vermont National Republicans
• Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Vermont
• Governors of Vermont
• Anti-Masonic Party state governors of the United States
• Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court
• University of Vermont alumni
• 19th-century American judges
• 19th-century United States senators
• 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly