Thomas Palmer (1859–1946) was an American lawyer, developer, and politician in Florida representing

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

. He served in the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

including as President of the Florida Senate.

Biography

Thomas Palmer was born in

Washington County, Georgia Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,988. The county seat is Sandersville. The county was established on February 25, 1784. It was named for Revolutionary War gener ...

in 1859. He earned a law degree from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

in 1888. He moved to Tampa in 1889, and shortly afterward was elected mayor of

Brooksville, Florida Brooksville is a city in western Florida and the county seat of Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719, up from 7,264 at the 2000 census. Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residence ...

. He married Ruby Brooks in April 1899. He was a state senator in 1896 and 1897. In 1901, he represented

and the 11th District. He proposed stone tablets dating to Spanish occupation in Florida be incorporated into an expansion of the Florida State Capitol. The tablets and the owner's home furnishings were acquired instead by

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founde ...

. A lawyer and developer, he was involved in the development of the

Palma Ceia Palma Ceia is a neighborhood located southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida in South Tampa. It is bounded by Miguel Street West of MacDill Avenue and Neptune Street East of MacDill Avenue to the north; Bay to Bay Boulevard from Dale Mabry to Himes a ...

neighborhood of Tampa. In 1926 he was recorded as owning Palma Ceia Springs (sometimes formerly written as Palmaceia Springs). A pool was built on the site and a streetcar stop was part of the

Port Tampa Port Tampa is a neighborhood in the southwestern most portion within the city limits of Tampa, Florida, on the western end of the Interbay Peninsula where the main port used to be. Within this neighborhood is Picnic Island Park as well as West Sh ...

to Ballast Point line. What remains of the spring can be found at Fred Ball Park alongside Bayshore Boulevard. In 1909, he was involved in organizing a citrus exchange and used the one in California as a model. He reported the headquarters of the Florida Citrus Exchange would be located in Tampa. Thomas Palmer died at his home in Tampa on August 11, 1946.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Thomas Florida state senators 1859 births American real estate businesspeople 20th-century American politicians Presidents of the Florida Senate Florida lawyers Politicians from Tampa, Florida Businesspeople from Tampa, Florida 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 1946 deaths