Douglas Harold Palmer (born October 19, 1951) is a former politician who was the first African-American mayor of Trenton, New Jersey.
Douglas Palmer | |
|---|---|
 Palmer in 1998 | |
| 45th Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey | |
| In office July 1, 1990 – June 30, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Carmen J. Armenti |
| Succeeded by | Tony F. Mack |
| 65th President of the United States Conference of Mayors | |
| In office 2006–2008 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Guido |
| Succeeded by | Manny Diaz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas Harold Palmer October 19, 1951 Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Christiana Foglio-Palmer |
| Children | Laila Rose (born 2002) |
| Alma mater | Hampton University |
Biography
editPalmer 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. Palmer 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.[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 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 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.
In 2023, he was inducted into Hampton University's athletics hall of fame. He had played for both the Pirates football and Pirates baseball teams.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Douglas Palmer". City Mayors. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ↑ "John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy".
- ↑ "Allan Mallach" (PDF).
- ↑ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members". Archived from the original on March 6, 2007.
- ↑ Parker, L. A. (April 12, 2023). "Doug Palmer enters Hampton University's Hall of Fame". The Trentonian. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
External links
edit- www.groovephigroove.org
- Official page on Trenton city website
- CityMayors profile
- John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy
- Appearances on C-SPAN
  | This article about a mayor in New Jersey is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |