Alice Palmer (Illinois politician)
Encyclopedia
Alice J. Palmer is an American educator and former Democratic
member of the Illinois Senate
. Known as a longtime progressive activist, Palmer represented the state's 13th senate district from June 6, 1991 until January 8, 1997. At the time, the district spanned an economically diverse area and included the Chicago communities of Hyde Park
, South Shore
and Englewood
.
First appointed to fill the vacant seat of retired state senator Richard J. Newhouse, Jr., Palmer successfully ran for election in 1992 and served a four-year term that ended on January 8, 1997. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995, and was succeeded in office by Barack Obama
.
Prior to her time in the state legislature, Palmer was executive director of Chicago Cities in Schools program and founding director of the Chicago Metropolitan YMCA
Youth and Government Program.
, Indiana
to Erskine and Mary Ward Roberts. She graduated from high school at age 16, enrolled at Indiana University
, but dropped out for an extended period of time. She returned to college and received her B.S.
in English and sociology from Indiana University in 1965.
, one of the City Colleges of Chicago
. She earned an M.A. in urban studies from Roosevelt University
, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Northwestern University
. While working on her degree at Northwestern, Palmer co-authored two books and tutored. She then took a position at Northwestern as Associate Dean and Director of African American Student Affairs for five years.
She became involved in a national voter education movement then founded the Chicago YMCA Youth and Government Program in 1986. In addition, she was executive director of Chicago Cities in Schools. In the late 1980s she was on the board of the Chicago Committee in Solidarity with Southern Africa, an anti-apartheid group.
Palmer was appointed to the Illinois state senate in June 1991 to fill the remainder of the term of longtime state senator, Richard J. Newhouse, Jr., who had retired. She successfully ran for election in 1992 and served a four-year term that ended on January 8, 1997.
While in the state senate, Palmer initially served on the committees for Appropriations, Commerce and Economic Development, Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher Education, rising to vice chairperson of Commerce and Economic Development. Later in her tenure, she served on the State Government Operations and the Economic and Fiscal commissions, and was a member of the Legislative Bureau and the Legislative Information Systems committee.
In July 1995, seven months after launching an exploratory fundraising committee for a U.S. congressional run, Palmer announced she would run to replace U.S. Representative Mel Reynolds
who was then under indictment for sex crimes. She also said that she would not seek reelection to the Illinois state senate in 1996. Shortly afterward, Barack Obama, who had never held political office to-date, launched his campaign committee for Palmer's Illinois state senate seat.
Following Reynolds' conviction and resignation from the U.S. House in August 1995, a special election primary was set for November 1995 to replace Reynolds. In September 1995, Palmer supporters held a press conference asking other announced and rumored candidates to drop out to allow Palmer to run in the special primary without opposition.
On September 19, 1995 Barack Obama
formally announced his candidacy for the state senate, with Palmer introducing and endorsing Obama as her successor, according to multiple accounts. According to The New Yorker, Palmer's endorsement "brought with it two organizational assets: local operators and local activists".
On November 28, 1995, after finishing a distant third behind Jesse Jackson, Jr.
in the primary to replace Reynolds, a disappointed Palmer remarked that she still would not seek re-election to the state senate. However, Palmer changed her mind and filed nominating petitions with 1,580 signatures on December 18, 1995—the last day for filing. That day Obama told the Chicago Tribune, "I am disappointed that she's decided to go back on her word to me".
In early January 1996, Obama challenged Palmer's hastily gathered petitions and those of the three other prospective Democratic candidates. Nearly two-thirds of the signatures on Palmer's petitions were found to be invalid, leaving her almost 200 signatures short of the required 757 signatures of registered voters residing in the Illinois senate district. None of the other three prospective candidates had the required number of valid signatures—which left Obama, who had filed nominating petitions with over 3,000 signatures on the first filing day—as the only candidate to earn a place on the March 1996 Democratic primary ballot for the 13th district Illinois state senate. In a 2007 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Obama said that the challenges were justified by obvious flaws in the signature sheets.
After leaving public office, Palmer became an Associate Professor in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and she was a special assistant to the president of the university before retiring.
Palmer endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. She was reportedly a key supporter of Danny Davis in his 2011 run for mayor of Chicago against former Obama aide, Rahm Emanuel
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Illinois Senate
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
. Known as a longtime progressive activist, Palmer represented the state's 13th senate district from June 6, 1991 until January 8, 1997. At the time, the district spanned an economically diverse area and included the Chicago communities of Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Chicago
Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science...
, South Shore
South Shore, Chicago
South Shore is one of 77 well-defined community areas of the City of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. A predominately black neighborhood located along Chicago's southern lakefront, it is a relatively stable and gentrifying neighborhood...
and Englewood
Englewood, Chicago
Englewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
.
First appointed to fill the vacant seat of retired state senator Richard J. Newhouse, Jr., Palmer successfully ran for election in 1992 and served a four-year term that ended on January 8, 1997. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995, and was succeeded in office by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Prior to her time in the state legislature, Palmer was executive director of Chicago Cities in Schools program and founding director of the Chicago Metropolitan YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Youth and Government Program.
Early life and education
Palmer was born in IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
to Erskine and Mary Ward Roberts. She graduated from high school at age 16, enrolled at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, but dropped out for an extended period of time. She returned to college and received her B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in English and sociology from Indiana University in 1965.
Career
Palmer began her teaching career in Indianapolis then moved to Chicago to teach at Malcolm X CollegeMalcolm X College
Malcolm X College is a two-year college of the City Colleges of Chicago located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, USA, at 1900 W Van Buren St. It was founded as Crane Junior College in 1911 to serve graduates of the nearby Crane High School, and was the first of the City Colleges to be...
, one of the City Colleges of Chicago
City Colleges of Chicago
The City Colleges of Chicago is a system of seven community colleges which provide learning opportunities for Chicago residents at the schools or online, and also members of the US military through the Navy Campus to enhance their knowledge and skills. Student enrollment was 115,000 in 2007...
. She earned an M.A. in urban studies from Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. While working on her degree at Northwestern, Palmer co-authored two books and tutored. She then took a position at Northwestern as Associate Dean and Director of African American Student Affairs for five years.
She became involved in a national voter education movement then founded the Chicago YMCA Youth and Government Program in 1986. In addition, she was executive director of Chicago Cities in Schools. In the late 1980s she was on the board of the Chicago Committee in Solidarity with Southern Africa, an anti-apartheid group.
Palmer was appointed to the Illinois state senate in June 1991 to fill the remainder of the term of longtime state senator, Richard J. Newhouse, Jr., who had retired. She successfully ran for election in 1992 and served a four-year term that ended on January 8, 1997.
While in the state senate, Palmer initially served on the committees for Appropriations, Commerce and Economic Development, Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher Education, rising to vice chairperson of Commerce and Economic Development. Later in her tenure, she served on the State Government Operations and the Economic and Fiscal commissions, and was a member of the Legislative Bureau and the Legislative Information Systems committee.
In July 1995, seven months after launching an exploratory fundraising committee for a U.S. congressional run, Palmer announced she would run to replace U.S. Representative Mel Reynolds
Mel Reynolds
Melvin Reynolds is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois. His political career ended in scandal.-Early life:...
who was then under indictment for sex crimes. She also said that she would not seek reelection to the Illinois state senate in 1996. Shortly afterward, Barack Obama, who had never held political office to-date, launched his campaign committee for Palmer's Illinois state senate seat.
Following Reynolds' conviction and resignation from the U.S. House in August 1995, a special election primary was set for November 1995 to replace Reynolds. In September 1995, Palmer supporters held a press conference asking other announced and rumored candidates to drop out to allow Palmer to run in the special primary without opposition.
On September 19, 1995 Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
formally announced his candidacy for the state senate, with Palmer introducing and endorsing Obama as her successor, according to multiple accounts. According to The New Yorker, Palmer's endorsement "brought with it two organizational assets: local operators and local activists".
On November 28, 1995, after finishing a distant third behind Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Jesse Louis Jackson, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since the special election in 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
in the primary to replace Reynolds, a disappointed Palmer remarked that she still would not seek re-election to the state senate. However, Palmer changed her mind and filed nominating petitions with 1,580 signatures on December 18, 1995—the last day for filing. That day Obama told the Chicago Tribune, "I am disappointed that she's decided to go back on her word to me".
In early January 1996, Obama challenged Palmer's hastily gathered petitions and those of the three other prospective Democratic candidates. Nearly two-thirds of the signatures on Palmer's petitions were found to be invalid, leaving her almost 200 signatures short of the required 757 signatures of registered voters residing in the Illinois senate district. None of the other three prospective candidates had the required number of valid signatures—which left Obama, who had filed nominating petitions with over 3,000 signatures on the first filing day—as the only candidate to earn a place on the March 1996 Democratic primary ballot for the 13th district Illinois state senate. In a 2007 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Obama said that the challenges were justified by obvious flaws in the signature sheets.
After leaving public office, Palmer became an Associate Professor in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and she was a special assistant to the president of the university before retiring.
Palmer endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. She was reportedly a key supporter of Danny Davis in his 2011 run for mayor of Chicago against former Obama aide, Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
.