Date Published:
January 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Edward Palmer

Palmer, Edward (1809-1889), politician and judge, was born at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on September 1, 1809, the son of James B. Palmer, a barrister, and Millicent, daughter of Benjamin Jones, of London, England . He was educated at Charlottetown, studied law under his father, and was called to the bar in 1831 (Q.C., 1857). From 1835 to 1860 he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island for Charlottetown and Royalty; and from 1860 to 1873 he was a member of the Legislative Council. He repeatedly held office in the Island administration. From 1848 to 1851 he was solicitor-general; for some months in 1854 he was attorney-general; in 1859 he became president of the council; and he was again attorney-general from 1863 to 1869, and from 1872 to 1873. He was a delegate to the Charlottetown conference on the union of the Maritime provinces in 1864, and to the Quebec conference later in the same year. He opposed Confederation on the basis of the Quebec Resolutions; but in 1873 threw his influence in favour of union. In 1873 he was appointed a judge of the Queen's county court, Prince Edward Island ; and in 1874 he was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Island. This office he held until his death on November 3, 1889. He married Isabella, daughter of Benjamin Tremain, of Quebec ; and by her he had nine children.

Source  : W. Stewart WALLACE, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. V, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 401p., p. 80