EDWARD PALMER, PREMIER AND Father of Confederation, saw a total of thirty-eight years of almost
uninterrupted political activity.
He was born in 1809, the son of James Bardin Palmer, an Irish barrister, who had come to the
Island at the beginning of the nineteenth century. James Palmer continued his law practice in
Charlottetown and his son, grandson and great-grandson all followed in his footsteps. Edward
was called to the Bar in 1831 and four years later he was elected to represent Charlottetown in
the House of Assembly. In 1860, he was appointed to the Legislative Council and when that body became elective retained
his seat. Except for one brief period he sat in the upper house until 1873. Palmer was a Conservative and held office on numerous occasions during his political career. He
was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1857 and argued a number of significant cases before being
appointed to the Supreme Court in 1873. A year later he succeeded Robert Hodgson as Chief Justice and remained in that post until his
death in November 1889.
