Thomas Palmer (Florida politician) explained

Thomas Palmer
Birth Place:Washington County, Georgia
Death Place:Tampa, Florida
Occupation:Lawyer, politician
Signature:Signature of Florida politician Thomas Palmer.png
Office:Member of the Florida Senate
Term:1896, 1897, 1901

Thomas Palmer (1859–1946) was an American lawyer, developer, and politician in Florida representing Tampa. He served in the Florida Senate including as President of the Florida Senate.

Biography

Thomas Palmer was born in Washington County, Georgia in 1859.[1]

He earned a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1888.[2]

He moved to Tampa in 1889, and shortly afterward was elected mayor of Brooksville, Florida.[1] [2]

He married Ruby Brooks in April 1899.[1]

He was a state senator in 1896 and 1897.[3] In 1901, he represented Tampa and the 11th District.[4]

He proposed stone tablets dating to Spanish occupation in Florida be incorporated into an expansion of the Florida State Capitol. The tablets and the owner's home furnishings were acquired instead by Henry Flagler.

A lawyer and developer, he was involved in the development of the Palma Ceia neighborhood of Tampa.[5] [6]

In 1926 he was recorded as owning Palma Ceia Springs (sometimes formerly written as Palmaceia Springs).[7] A pool was built on the site and a streetcar stop was part of the Port Tampa to Ballast Point line.[8] What remains of the spring can be found at Fred Ball Park alongside Bayshore Boulevard.[9]

In 1909, he was involved in organizing a citrus exchange and used the one in California as a model.[10] He reported the headquarters of the Florida Citrus Exchange would be located in Tampa.[11]

Thomas Palmer died at his home in Tampa on August 11, 1946.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Book: The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography . VI . James T. White & Company . 166 . 1896 . November 28, 2020 . Google Books.
  2. News: Thos. Palmer, Noted Tampa Lawyer, Dies . . 1 . August 12, 1946 . November 28, 2020 . Newspapers.com.
  3. Web site: Report. Florida Office of Secretary of. State. July 23, 1896. Google Books.
  4. Web site: Acts and Resolutions Adopted by the Legislature of Florida. July 23, 1901. W. & C. Julian Bartlett. Google Books.
  5. Web site: What's in a Name?.
  6. Web site: 7 Founding Figures in South Tampa History. February 20, 2019.
  7. Web site: Water Supply Paper. Geological. Survey (U.S.). July 23, 1926. U.S. Government Printing Office. Google Books.
  8. Book: Kaiser, Robert J.. Tampa: The Early Years. July 23, 1999. Arcadia Publishing. 9780738502250. Google Books.
  9. Web site: A defender of freshwater springs restores one in Tampa. Tampa Bay Times.
  10. Web site: Fruit Trade Journal and Produce Record. July 23, 1909. Fruit Trade Journal Company.. Google Books.
  11. Web site: Fifty Years of Citrus: The Florida Citrus Exchange, 1909-1959. James T.. Hopkins. July 23, 1960. University of Florida Press. Google Books.