Palmer

Palmer, Alexander Mitchell, 1872-1936, American politician, b. Moosehead, Pa. Admitted (1893) to the bar, he built up a large law practice, became a leader in the state Democratic party, and served (1909-15) in Congress. In 1912, Palmer helped swing the Democratic convention to nominate Woodrow Wilson for President. He was appointed (1913) judge of the U.S. Court of Claims and then (1917) alien-property custodian. As U.S. Attorney General (1919-21), he initiated the notorious "Palmer Raids," in which some 3,000 allegedly subversive aliens were rounded up for deportation. Ultimately only a few hundred were deported; the vast majority were released.

Palmer, Alice Freeman, 1855-1902, American educator, b. Broome co., N.Y., grad. Univ. of Michigan, 1876. She was one of the leading early proponents of higher education for women in the United States. In 1879 she became head of the history department at Wellesley College, later serving as president (1881-87) and as trustee (from 1888). In 1887 she married George Herbert Palmer. A member of the Massachusetts state board of education after 1889, she was also dean of women at the Univ. of Chicago (1892-95), a director of the World's Columbian Exposition, and twice president of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (American Association of University Women).

Palmer, Arnold, 1929-, American golfer, b. Latrobe, Pa. The son of a professional golfer, he won three regional titles in his youth. Turning professional after winning the 1954 U.S. amateur championship, he won the 1955 Canadian Open. Palmer won the Masters tournament in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964, becoming the first four-time winner; the U.S. Open in 1960; and the British Open in 1961 and 1962. A great fan favorite, followed enthusiastically by "Arnie's Army," he had a noted long-term rivalry with Jack Nicklaus. In 1967 he became the first golf professional to win more than $1 million.

Palmer, Daniel David, 1845-1913, American founder of chiropractic, b. near Toronto, Canada. He practiced and taught chiropractic, chiefly in Davenport, Iowa. His work was carried on and extended by his son, Bartlett J. Palmer.

Palmer, Erastus Dow, 1817-1904, American sculptor, b. Pompey, N.Y., self-taught. A carpenter in his youth, he spent his leisure time cutting cameos. He progressed to carving bas-reliefs and then figures in the round, sculpted to conform with the classical ideal. His first full-length figure, The Indian Girl, and his most famous sculpture, The White Captive, are in the Metropolitan Museum.

Palmer, Frederick, 1873-1958, American writer and war correspondent, b. Pleasantville, Pa. He began war reporting in the Greco-Turkish War (1896-97), reaching the height of his fame as a correspondent during World War I. In World War II he was with the British army in France and the American army in Europe and the Pacific. His writings include novels, biographies, and many books based on his experiences.

Palmer, George Herbert, 1842-1933, American educator, philosopher, and author, b. Boston, grad. Harvard, 1864, Andover Theological Seminary, 1870, studied (1867-69) in Europe. He became tutor in Greek at Harvard (1870) and taught there the rest of his career, becoming professor emeritus and overseer (1913-19). He was the first Harvard professor to abandon the textbook and recitation method of teaching philosophy and to work out his own system of ideas in lectures. His books include The Life and Works of George Herbert (1905); translations of the Odyssey and Sophocles' Antigone; The Field of Ethics (1901); and Altruism: Its Nature and Varieties (1919). He also wrote a biography (1908) of his second wife, Alice Freeman Palmer, his autobiography (1930), and a number of essays on education and other topics.

Palmer, Nathaniel Brown, 1799-1877, American sea captain and antarctic explorer, b. Stonington, Conn. While on a whaling voyage (1820-21) in the South Shetlands, he commanded the Hero on an exploring trip to the south and came back with a report that he had sighted land. Hence the name Palmer Land for the peninsula later named Graham Land by the British and known as Palmer Peninsula, Graham Land, or Graham Coast. On this expedition Palmer also discovered the South Orkney Islands. He was well known as a commander and designer of clipper ships.

Palmer, Ray, 1808-87, American Congregational clergyman and hymn writer, b. Little Compton, R.I., grad. Yale, 1830. He held pastorates in Bath, Maine (1835-50), and Albany, N.Y. (1850-66). He is remembered chiefly for the hymn "My Faith Looks up to Thee" (1830), a worldwide favorite, for which Lowell Mason wrote the tune Olivet.

Palmer, Samuel, 1805-81, English landscape watercolorist, etcher, and mystic. Under the influence of William Blake he produced in sepia a series of remarkable visionary drawings of moonlit landscapes. Palmer is also known for his Italian and English landscapes in watercolor, his illustrations of Spenser and Milton, his translations of Vergil's Eclogues, and his etchings. He is represented in the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, both in London.

palmer: see pilgrim.

Cox, Palmer, 1840-1924, American author and artist, b. Granby, Que. He is famous as the writer and illustrator of the Brownie stories for children (13 vol., 1887-1925).

(born Jan. 27, 1805, London, Eng.—died May 24, 1881, Redhill, Surrey) British painter and etcher. He began exhibiting conventional landscapes at the Royal Academy by 14. After converting to a personal form of High Anglicanism and discovering medieval art, he developed a visionary style, displaying a mystical but precise depiction of nature and an overflowing religious intensity, united by a vivid re-creation of the pastoral conventions. In these works he was encouraged and influenced by William Blake. As his religious fervour faded after 1830, the precarious balance between realism and vision was lost.

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(born Nov. 24, 1938, Charlotte, Tenn., U.S.) U.S. basketball player. He was the first African American to play for the University of Cincinnati. Drafted by the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA in 1960, he averaged double figures in points (30.8), rebounds (12.5), and assists (11.4) per game in 1961–62, a feat unmatched by any other player. He played for the Milwaukee Bucks (1970–74) and helped the team win a championship in 1970. He ended his career with 26,710 points, 7,804 rebounds, and 9,887 assists.

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(born May 16, 1804, Billerica, Mass., U.S.—died Jan. 3, 1894, Jamaica Plain, Mass.) U.S. educator and leader in the kindergarten movement in America. She served as secretary to William Ellery Channing (1825–34) and worked with Bronson Alcott in his Temple School. She opened a Boston bookshop in 1839, which became a centre for Transcendentalist activities. She published works by Margaret Fuller and Nathaniel Hawthorne and also published and wrote articles for The Dial. Inspired by the work of Friedrich Froebel, she opened the first English-language kindergarten in the U.S. in 1860 and thereafter devoted herself to organizing public and private kindergartens. Her sisters married Horace Mann and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Learn more about Peabody, Elizabeth (Palmer) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 27, 1805, London, Eng.—died May 24, 1881, Redhill, Surrey) British painter and etcher. He began exhibiting conventional landscapes at the Royal Academy by 14. After converting to a personal form of High Anglicanism and discovering medieval art, he developed a visionary style, displaying a mystical but precise depiction of nature and an overflowing religious intensity, united by a vivid re-creation of the pastoral conventions. In these works he was encouraged and influenced by William Blake. As his religious fervour faded after 1830, the precarious balance between realism and vision was lost.

Learn more about Palmer, Samuel with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Sept. 10, 1929, Latrobe, Pa., U.S.) U.S. golfer. The son of a greenskeeper, Palmer turned professional in 1954 after winning the U.S. Amateur championship. He was the first player to win the Masters Tournament four times (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964); his other major h1s include the U.S. Open (1960) and the British Open (1961–62). From 1954 through 1975 he won 61 tournaments. He won the PGA Senior Open in 1980 and 1981. He was the first golfer to earn $1,000,000 in tournament prize money. His exciting play and amiable personality won him wide popularity among fans, who became known as “Arnie's Army.” Palmer was also the first athlete to parlay success on the playing field into lucrative off-the-field contracts, and thus he paved the way for athletes who followed to earn substantial sums from endorsement contracts.

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(born May 4, 1872, Moosehead, Pa., U.S.—died May 11, 1936, Washington, D.C.) U.S. politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1909 to 1915 and helped secure the Democratic Party presidential nomination for Woodrow Wilson in 1912. Appointed U.S. attorney general (1919–21), Palmer used the espionage and sedition acts (1917, 1918) to attack political radicals, dissidents, and aliens in the “Red Scare” period following World War I. The government-led roundup of suspected communists became known as the “Palmer raids.” In 1920 he ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party.

Learn more about Palmer, A(lexander) Mitchell with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Nov. 24, 1938, Charlotte, Tenn., U.S.) U.S. basketball player. He was the first African American to play for the University of Cincinnati. Drafted by the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA in 1960, he averaged double figures in points (30.8), rebounds (12.5), and assists (11.4) per game in 1961–62, a feat unmatched by any other player. He played for the Milwaukee Bucks (1970–74) and helped the team win a championship in 1970. He ended his career with 26,710 points, 7,804 rebounds, and 9,887 assists.

Learn more about Robertson, Oscar (Palmer) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born May 16, 1804, Billerica, Mass., U.S.—died Jan. 3, 1894, Jamaica Plain, Mass.) U.S. educator and leader in the kindergarten movement in America. She served as secretary to William Ellery Channing (1825–34) and worked with Bronson Alcott in his Temple School. She opened a Boston bookshop in 1839, which became a centre for Transcendentalist activities. She published works by Margaret Fuller and Nathaniel Hawthorne and also published and wrote articles for The Dial. Inspired by the work of Friedrich Froebel, she opened the first English-language kindergarten in the U.S. in 1860 and thereafter devoted herself to organizing public and private kindergartens. Her sisters married Horace Mann and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Learn more about Peabody, Elizabeth (Palmer) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Sept. 10, 1929, Latrobe, Pa., U.S.) U.S. golfer. The son of a greenskeeper, Palmer turned professional in 1954 after winning the U.S. Amateur championship. He was the first player to win the Masters Tournament four times (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964); his other major h1s include the U.S. Open (1960) and the British Open (1961–62). From 1954 through 1975 he won 61 tournaments. He won the PGA Senior Open in 1980 and 1981. He was the first golfer to earn $1,000,000 in tournament prize money. His exciting play and amiable personality won him wide popularity among fans, who became known as “Arnie's Army.” Palmer was also the first athlete to parlay success on the playing field into lucrative off-the-field contracts, and thus he paved the way for athletes who followed to earn substantial sums from endorsement contracts.

Learn more about Palmer, Arnold (Daniel) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born May 4, 1872, Moosehead, Pa., U.S.—died May 11, 1936, Washington, D.C.) U.S. politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1909 to 1915 and helped secure the Democratic Party presidential nomination for Woodrow Wilson in 1912. Appointed U.S. attorney general (1919–21), Palmer used the espionage and sedition acts (1917, 1918) to attack political radicals, dissidents, and aliens in the “Red Scare” period following World War I. The government-led roundup of suspected communists became known as the “Palmer raids.” In 1920 he ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party.

Learn more about Palmer, A(lexander) Mitchell with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Palmer is a city in and the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 4,533. 2005 Census Bureau estimates give the city a population of 6,920.

Geography

Palmer is located at (61.601879, -149.117351).

Palmer is 68 km (42 miles) northeast of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway. This community of one of two towns in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, a region that grew dramatically in the past decade; Borough officials estimate the local population at 80,000.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,533 people, 1,472 households, and 1,058 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,206.3 people per square mile (465.5/km²). There were 1,555 housing units at an average density of 413.8/sq mi (159.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.94% White, 2.05% Black or African American, 8.18% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.33% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 6.29% from two or more races. 3.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.9% were of German, 10.5% United States or American, 8.9% Irish and 8.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 1,472 households out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.6% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,571, and the median income for a family was $53,164. Males had a median income of $44,716 versus $25,221 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,203. About 6.0% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Population of Palmer

Year	Population
1960	1,200
1970	1,100
1980	2,100
1990	2,900
2000	4,500

History

Palmer began in 1916 as a railway station on the Matanuska branch of the Alaska Railroad largely to serve coal mines in the Jonesville/Sutton area northeast of Palmer. In 1935, during the Great Depression, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal projects, established the Matanuska Colony. From Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 203 families traveled by train and ship to reach the fledgling colony, arriving in the summer of 1935. Upon their arrival they were housed in a tent city during their first Alaskan summer. Each family drew lots for 40 acre tracts and their farming adventure began in earnest. The failure rate was high, but many of their descendants still live in the area and there are still many operating farms in the Palmer area, including Vanderwheele and Wolverine farms.

In addition to an agrarian heritage, the colony families brought with them Midwest America's small-town values, institutional structures, and a well-planned city center reminiscent of their old hometowns in Minnesota. Many of the structures built are now in a nationally recognized historic district. Construction of the statewide road system and the rapid development of Anchorage has fueled growth around Palmer. Many Palmer residents commute 45 minutes to work in Anchorage.

Points of Interest

Palmer is most noted in Alaska as the location of the annual Alaska State Fair, where Palmer's agricultural spirit lives on. The Alaska State Fair holds contests for largest vegetable in several categories, and many national and even world records have been recorded at the fair, with the cabbage, radish, spinach and lettuce categories usually dominating local interest. In 2008, Scott Robb of Palmer won 1st place and a $2,000 prize for his 79.1 lb cabbage.

Palmer hosts an historic log cabin Visitor Center in the heart of downtown that entertains more than 35,000 visitors each year. The visitor center has a two acre showcase garden and lawn that is the "perfect place to have a picnic." The Palmer Museum of History and Art is located in the Visitor Center and offers visitors chance to view artifacts from Palmer's history and learn about how the town came to be.

A couple of blocks away from the visitor center is the United Protestant Church. It was built in 1936-37 and is one of the historically registered original colonial buildings in Palmer. There are also several bookstores, including Alaskana Books, which carries a collection of rare and collectible Alaskana books, and Fireside Books, a quirky little independent bookstore, known for its good books and ugly coffee.

Alaska Raceway Park is a nearby dragstrip.

The Mat-Su Miners, a franchise in the Alaska Baseball League, a high-level summer collegiate baseball league, play their games at Herman Brothers Field in Palmer. With Division I collegiate players from all over the United States, the Miners have twice captured the coveted National Baseball Congress championship, in 1987 and 1997.

Palmer is also home to many public and private schools, such as Palmer High.

References

Sources

• Matanuska Valley Memoir: The Story of How One Alaskan Community Developed, by Hugh A. Johnson and Keith L. Stanton. Bulletin 18, 3rd edition, 1980. Originally published July 1955. Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station: Palmer, Alaska.

External links

• City of Palmer
• Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce