Palmer, Edward National Historic Person
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Delegates at the Charlottetown Convention
© George P. Roberts / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / C-000733
Address :
165 Richmond Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1939-05-29
Life Date:
1809 to 1889
Other Name(s):
-
Palmer, Edward
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Father of Confederation, politician of Prince Edward Island
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 165 Richmond Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Born in Charlottetown and called to the bar in 1831, Palmer was a member of the legislature (1835-60), and of the Legislative Council (1860-73). Between 1848 and 1873 he held several cabinet posts, including that of President of the Council (1859-63). A delegate to the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences, he opposed Confederation at the outset but, in 1873, threw his support behind the Union movement. Appointed Judge of the Queen's County Court in 1873, he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province in the following year. He died at Charlottetown.