William Adams Palmer (September 12, 1781December 3, 1860) was an American lawyer and politician. A prominent of the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...

in the 1830s, he was most notable for his service as a

US Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

(1818–1825) and the 13th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

(1831–1835). A native of

Hebron, Connecticut Hebron is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2020 census. Hebron was incorporated May 26, 1708. In 2010, Hebron was rated #6 in Top Towns in Connecticut with population between 6,500 and 10,000, ...

, Palmer studied law in Hebron before moving to

Chelsea, Vermont Chelsea is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. Geography Chelsea is located in a river valley in central Vermont. The First Branch of the White Rive ...

, 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 The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

and served in offices including probate judge of Caledonia County (1807-1808, 1811-1817) and member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

(1811-1812, 1818). From 1816 to 1818, he served as an associate justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

. In 1818, Palmer was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. 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 The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

and

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, knows as the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. 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 The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

from 1836 to 1837. Palmer died in Danville on December 3, 1860 and was buried at Danville Green Cemetery in Danville.

Biography

Palmer was born in

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 Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally called Mishawum by the Massachusett tribe, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins t ...

, and

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

. 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 The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in ...

, and then with

Daniel Buck Daniel Buck (November 9, 1753 – August 16, 1816) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a United States representative from Vermont. Biography Buck was born in Hebron, Connecticut, the son of Thomas and Jane Buck. He served as a ...

. Palmer was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1805 and practiced in Brownington,

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, and St. Johnsbury before settling in Danville.

Career

Palmer was elected

Probate Judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

for Caledonia County from 1807 to 1808, and from 1811 to 1817. He was clerk of the county court from 1807 to 1815, and a member of the

from 1811 to 1812 and again in 1818. He was a judge of the

from 1816 to 1818, and was succeeded by William Brayton. In 1817 Palmer received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

. In 1818, Palmer was elected to the

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

and from 1823 as a

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

. 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

in Montpelier in 1829. He was elected

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

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 A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

. 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 Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was elected to the

in 1836 and he served from 1836 to 1837.

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

External links

Vermont State ArchivesBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, William A. 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 Burials in Vermont 19th-century American judges