Douglas Palmer

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = FEMA - 987 - Photograph by FEMA News Photo taken on 01-01-1998 in New Jersey.jpg

| birth_name = Douglas Harold Palmer

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|10|19|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| residence = Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.

| office = 45th Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey

| order =

| 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

| Deputy1 =

| predecessor1 = Michael Guido

| successor1 = Manny Diaz

| party = Democratic

| spouse = Christiana Foglio-Palmer

| children = Laila Rose (born 2002)

| alma_mater = Hampton University

| website =

| caption = Palmer in 1998

}}

Douglas Harold Palmer (born October 19, 1951) is a former politician who was the first African-American mayor of Trenton, New Jersey.

Biography

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 fellowship. He took office as mayor of Trenton on July 1, 1990, having defeated former city council president and mayor Carmen Armenti.{{cite news |title=Douglas Palmer |url=http://www.citymayors.com/mayors/trenton-mayor.html |work=City Mayors |access-date=2010-03-22 }}

Palmer helped to initiate the Trenton Office of Policy Studies, now the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy,{{cite web|url=https://www.tesu.edu/watson/institute/index | title=John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy}} 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,{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/mallacha_cv.pdf | title=Allan Mallach }} and Elizabeth Johnson as Director of Recreation, Natural Resources, and Culture.

Palmer was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,{{cite web|url=http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml |title=Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306180747/http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml |archive-date=2007-03-06 }} 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.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20120219195511/http://www.groovephigroove.org/ www.groovephigroove.org]
[http://www.trentonnj.org/Cit-e-Access/Mayor/?TID=55&TPID=5552 Official page on Trenton city website]
[http://www.citymayors.com/mayors/trenton-mayor.html CityMayors profile]
[https://www.tesu.edu/watson/institute/index John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy]
{{C-SPAN|24896}}

Category:1951 births

Category:20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey

Category:Living people

Category:Mayors of Trenton, New Jersey

Category:African-American mayors in New Jersey

Category:Hampton University alumni

Category:Presidents of the United States Conference of Mayors

Category:Bordentown Military Institute alumni

Category:21st-century African-American politicians

Category:20th-century African-American politicians