James Bardin Palmer

Palmer, James Bardin

James Bardin Palmer, lawyer, politician (b at Dublin, Ire c 1771; d at Charlottetown 3 Mar 1833). Trained as a lawyer in Ireland, Palmer immigrated to Prince Edward Island in 1802. He quickly embroiled himself in politics and became a leading member of the LOYAL ELECTORS. This led in 1812 to clashes with Governor C.D. Smith, who dismissed Palmer from the courts in 1816. Palmer had to appeal to England to be reinstated as a lawyer. He served as member of the Assembly and of the executive council before 1812, but later attempts to be elected to the Assembly were unsuccessful. In a colony with little legal talent Palmer soon became the leading lawyer and he was responsible for some reforms in the legal system, but his inability to get along with all but a few of the community meant that his progressive ideas in other areas were largely disregarded.