Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/195

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PALFREY


PALMER


PALFREY, Sara Hammond, author, was born

in Boston, Mass., Dec. 11, 1823; daughter of John Gorhain and Mary Ann (Hammond) Palfrey. She attended private schools in Boston and Cam- bridge, and devoted herself to literary work. Some of her best known works wei'e written under the pen-name of " E. Foxton." She is the author of: Prertiices, verse (1850); Herman, or Young Knighthood, novel (1866); Sir Pavon and St. Pavon, verse (1867); Agnes Wentworth, novel (1869); r/ie C/mpeZ, verse (1880); TJie Blossoming Rod, verse (1887); Old Times and Neio (1900); King Arthur in Avalon and Other Poems (1900); Kathe- rine Morne, novel, and contributions to the At- lantic Monthhj and other magazines.

PALMER, Alice Freeman, educator, was born inColesville, N.Y., Feb. 21, 1855; daughter of Dr. James Warren and Elizabeth (Higley) Free- man, and granddaughter of John and Elizabeth (Knox) Freeman, and of Isaac and Elvira (Frost) Higley. Her father, originally a farmer, studied at the Medical college, Albany, N.Y., 1864-66, and in 1866 removed his family to "Windsor, N.Y., where he practised medicine. Alice Freeman was graduated at the University of Michigan, A.B., 1876, and while there helped to organize the Stu- dents' Christian association for young men and women, and was also engaged in teaching. She taught in the high school at Ottawa, 111., 1875; at Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, 1876-77; at East Saginaw, Mich., 1877-79; was professor of history in Wellesley college, Massachusetts, 1879- 81; acting president of Wellesley, 1881-82, and president, 1882-87. During her adminis- tration she raised the standard of scholar- ship, regulated the granting of degrees, established the aca- demic council to legis- late upon intellectual matters, reorganized the departments of instruction and in- troduced the " home idea." Several new ,£. ^ buildings were also

^^i<h^ ■7^}^'U^^a^ O^A^^M- completed during her term of office. She became prominent as a lecturer and writer on educational subjects; served as a Massachusetts commissioner of education to the World's Colum- bian exposition, 1893, and as dean of the women's department of the University of Chicago, 1892-95. She received the degrees: Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1882, L.H.D. from Columbia university in 1887, and LL.D. from Union college in 1895. She was


a member of the Massachusetts State Board of Education; president of the Woman's Educa- tional association of Boston, of the Massachu- setts Home Missionary association, of the Asso- ciation of Collegiate Alumnae and of the corpor- ation of the Institute for Girls in Spain, and a trustee of Wellesley college. She was married, Dec. 23, 1887, to George Herbert Palmer (q.v.). In September, 1902, they set out on a European trip, and Mrs. Palmer died suddenly in Paris.

PALMER, Anna Campbell, author, was born in Elmira, N.Y., Feb. 3, 1854; daughter of James Barbour and Sally (Carpenter) Campbell. In 1868 she was left an orphan and taught school in Elmira. She was married, Sept. 28, 1880, to George Ai-chibald Palmer. She was a member of the editorial staff of the Elmira Evening Star, 1895-99, a correspondent to Buffalo Express, and on the staff of the Elmira Advertiser, 1901. She wrote under the pen-name of " Mrs. George Archibald ": Verses from a Mother's Corner (1889); The Sunimerville Prize (1890); Little Broivn Seed (1891); Lady Gay and Her Sister (1891); Lady Gay (1898); A Dozen Good Times (1898); TJiree Times Tiiree, in collaboration (1899); Joel Dor- man Steele, a biography (1900), and in 1901 she began to use her full married name on all her books and articles in periodicals.

PALMER, Benjamin Morgan, clergyman, was born in Charleston, S.C., Jan. 25, 1818; son of the Rev. Edward (1788-1882) and Sarah (Bunce) Palmer, and grandson of Job Palmer (1747-1845), a native of Falmouth, Mass., who removed to Charleston, S.C., before the Revolu- tion. He was graduated at the University of Georgia, A.B., 1838, and at the Theological semi- nary at Columbia, S.C, in 1841; was married, Oct. 7, 1841, to Mary Augusta, daughter of Dr. Robert and Sarah McConnell of Liberty county, Ga. He was ordained by the piesbytery of Geor- gia in 1841, and was pastor of the First Presbyte- rian church, Savannah, Ga., 1841-43; of the Presbyterian church, Columbia, S.C, 1843-56, and became pastor of the First Presbyterian church, New Orleans, La., in 1856. He was professor of church history and polity in the Theological sem- inary at Columbia, S.C, 1853-56; moderator of the first southern assembly of the Presbyterian church at Augusta, Ga., in 1861, and a commis- sioner to ten general assemblies of the church. He was one of the founders of The Southern Pres- byterian Revieio in 1847, and one of its editors and contributors from that year. He was a di- rector of the Theological seminary, Columbia, S.C, 1842-56; of the Southwestern Presbyterian university at Clarksville. Tenn., from 1878, and of Tulane university at New Orleans, La., from 1882. He received the degree of D.D. from Ogle- thorpe university, Ga., in 1852, and LL.D. from