| Birth Name: | Douglas Harold Palmer |
| Birth Date: | October 19, 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Residence: | Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Office: | Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey |
| Term Start: | July 1, 1990 |
| Term End: | June 30, 2010 |
| Predecessor: | Carmen J. Armenti |
| Successor: | Tony F. Mack |
| Office1: | 65th President of the United States Conference of Mayors |
| Term Start1: | 2006 |
| Term End1: | 2008 |
| Predecessor1: | Michael Guido |
| Successor1: | Manny Diaz |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Spouse: | Christiana Foglio-Palmer |
| Children: | Laila Rose (born 2002) |
| Alma Mater: | Hampton University |
Douglas Harold Palmer (born October 19, 1951) is a former politician who was the first African-American mayor of Trenton, New Jersey.
Palmer was born in Trenton and attended Trenton public schools. He then graduated from the Bordentown Military Institute in Bordentown, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Virginia's private historically black college Hampton University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management in 1973. Doug is also a member of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship Incorporated. He took office as mayor of Trenton on July 1, 1990, having defeated former city council president and mayor Carmen Armenti.[1]
Palmer helped to initiate the Trenton Office of Policy Studies, now the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy,[2] at Thomas Edison State University a unique think tank under the executive directorship of John P. Thurber, representing a partnership among the Mayor's Office, the University, and foundations to provide high quality focused research to the administration of a small city.
Palmer assembled a talented cabinet, including William Bill Watson as Chief of Staff, Alan Mallach as Director of Housing and Urban Development,[3] and Elizabeth Johnson as Director of Recreation, Natural Resources, and Culture.
Palmer was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[4] a bipartisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Palmer announced at a press conference December 7, 2009, that he would not seek a sixth term as mayor of Trenton.