For other uses, see Edward Palmer (disambiguation).

Edward Palmer (September 1, 1809 – November 3, 1889) was born at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and resided in Prince Edward Island until his death. He is considered one of the Fathers of Canadian Confederation, despite his opposition to Confederation, as he was a delegate to both the Charlottetown and Québec Conferences. Jump to: navigation, search There are several people named Edward Palmer: Edward Palmer (1809-1889), a Canadian politician Edward Palmer (1829-1911), a British botanist Edward Henry Palmer (1840-1882), a British orientalist This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Jump to: navigation, search September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search {{Hide = {{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: {{Unhide = {{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} CUNABULA FOEDERIS (Birthplace of Confederation) {{Canadian City/Location Image is:{{{Location Image Type}}}|[[Image:{{{Location Image}}}|thumbnail|center|250px|City of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada location. ... Motto: Parva Sub Ingenti (The small under the protection of the great) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Charlottetown Largest city Charlottetown Lieutenant Governor J. Léonce Bernard Premier Pat Binns (PC) Area 5,660 km² (13th) Land 5,660 km² Water 0 km² (0%) Population (2004) Population 137,900... Canadian Confederation, or the Confederation of Canada, was the process that ultimately brought together a union among the provinces, colonies and territories of British North America to form the Dominion of Canada, a dominion of the British Empire, which today is the federal nation state called Canada. ... Delegates of the Charlottetown Convention The Charlottetown Conference was a conference in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for representatives from the colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Quebec Conference refers to one of several different meetings by the same name that were held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. ...

Early Life

Edward Palmer was the son of James Bardin Palmer, an Irish barrister, who had come to the Island at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and Millicent Jones. He attended grammar school before becoming a law clerk in his father's law firm. He was called to the bar in 1830 and thereafter he worked as a lawyer being appointed Queen's Counsel in 1857. He was an active politician and later a judge. He married Isabella Tremain in 1846. He acted as a land agent and was himself a landed proprietor but, after experiencing long term conflict with his tenant farmers, he sold his substantial landholdings in 1870. 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Queens Counsel (postnominal QC), during the reign of a male Sovereign known as Kings Counsel (KC), are barristers or, in Scotland, advocates appointed by letters patent to be one of Her Majestys Counsel learned in the law. They do not constitute a separate order or degree of... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Political Life

He was elected as member of the Prince Edward Island House of Assembly for Charlottetown in 1835. He soon establish himself as one of the leading Conservatives. He was often viewed as a champion of the status quo, being against responsible government, against union of the colonies of British North America, and against land reform. He was also much given to conflict in the assembly, frequently arguing with both George Coles and Edward Whelan. In one of the most storied moments in the history of PEI politics, Palmer and Coles are said to have duelled on the grounds of Victoria Park, with Palmer missing his shot, only to have Coles fire his shot into the air and leave. In 1849, Palmer became the leader of the Tories in the provincial assembly. In 1859, he became premier, only to be pushed from office by his colleague John Hamilton Gray in 1863. He was first appointed to the Legislative Council in 1860 and when that body became elective he retained his seat. House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral legislature, in some countries, often at subnational level. ... 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The PEI Progressive Conservative Party is one of two major political parties on Prince Edward Island. ... Responsible government is a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. ... Jump to: navigation, search By 1763, British North America included 19 British colonies and territories on the continent of North America. ... Land reform (also agrarian reform although that can have a broader meaning) is the government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of — i. ... George Coles (September 20, 1810-August 21, 1875) was born in Prince Edward Island in 1810, the son of James Coles, a farmer, and Sarah Tally. ... Edward Whelan (1824-December 10, 1867). ... [[Media:Example. ... See also: Victoria (disambiguation) Several places are named Victoria Park: Victoria Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Victoria Park, Western Australia, Australia Victoria Park, New South Wales, Australia Victoria Park Nature Reserve, New South Wales, Australia Victoria Park, Auckland, New Zealand Victoria Park, Christchurch, New Zealand Victoria Park, Bath, England Victoria... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... A premier is an executive official of government. ... Colonel John Hamilton Gray was Premier of Prince Edward Island from 1863 to 1865 and one of the fathers of the Canadian Confederation. ... A Legislative Council in British constitutional thought is the second-to-top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, inferior to an Executive Council and equal to or superior to a Legislative Assembly. ...

His views against Confederation placed him in direct opposition to John Hamilton Gray. Their conflict fractured the Tory party and damaged the union cause, eventually resulting in both Palmer and Gray resigning from Cabinet. Palmer, however, retained his position as attorney general.

Palmer remained ardently opposed to Confederation after 1864. He also opposed the "Better Terms" offer made by Canada in 1869. Instead, he favoured a free trade deal between Prince Edward Island and the United States. In 1872, Palmer changed parties and joined the Liberal, anti-Confederation government of Robert Poore Haythorne. When the financial burden of a railway project forced Prince Edward Island to the brink of economic collapse it was the Haythorne government, of which Palmer was a member, that sought the union with Canada in 1873. After Prince Edward Island joined the Confederation, Palmer became a Queens County judge and was later elevated to Chief Justice. He held that title until his death. Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... The Prince Edward Island Liberal Party is a centrist political party in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. ... Robert Poore Haythorne (1815-1891) was a Prince Edward Island politician and premier. ... Jump to: navigation, search In many countries, especially common law countries such as Canada and the United States the Chief Justice is the name for the presiding officer on a senior court such as the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of New Zealand...

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online