My Genealogy Hound

Charles H. Palmer. Among the eminent men of Oakland County, Michigan, whose names are still familiar and whose memory is still green, none is recalled with more expressions of respect and esteem than the late Charles H. Palmer, whose death occurred at his home in Pontiac, April 9, 1887. Mr. Palmer was born in Lenox, Madison County, New York, in 1814. In 1837 he was graduated from Union College, New York, and soon after, on account of exceptional qualifications, was elected principal of the Fredonia (New York) Academy, and subsequently of the Geneseo Academy.

In 1839 Mr. Palmer was united in marriage with Betsey A. Cowles, a highly educated and accomplished lady, whose intellectual resources and amiable qualities made her a most, congenial companion. Her generous deeds and gentle charities are still recalled with grateful affection.

In 1835 the parents of Mr. Palmer removed to Michigan, and, observant of family ties, he followed and sought a home also in the West. In 1847 Mr. Palmer became principal of the Romeo Academy. In those years the numerous academies were the nurseries of the colleges and universities, and soon the Romeo Academy, under Mr. Palmer, ranked among the leading educational institutions of its class. The rich fruit of his training is found to-day in the intellectual supremacy of many residents of this and sister States. In 1851 his educational ability and his breadth of culture caused his election as one of the regents of the University of Michigan, and he was soon recognized as a leader and as the best equipped member of the board. Mr. Palmer was ardently devoted to the upbuilding of that institution, and threw his whole energy into the work of its re-organization and the perfecting of measures looking to the making of a great institution of learning which it has since become. He was made corresponding secretary of the board, and through his untiring personal efforts, and in the face of great difficulties and opposition, the celebrated Dr. Tappan, the patron saint of the University, was secured as its president. Mr. Palmer’s wisdom of choice has since been demonstrated in a thousand ways, but in no direction has it been more apparent than in placing this institution upon a substantial educational basis.

Although always interested and an active participant in all educational matters, Mr. Palmer was versatile enough to accomplish great results in more practical lines of endeavor. In 1853 he decided to seek a more active and, incidentally, a more remunerative field of labor, and secured at Pontiac a permanent home for his family, and began to cast about for a propitious opening, resulting in his going to the Lake Superior mining region of Michigan in 1854, where he almost immediately entered upon a career of mining development and operation, in which he was more or less interested until almost the close of his life. With others in this business, he experienced many of the ups and downs, but he bravely persevered against all odds and through sheer grit overcame where many men would have been overwhelmed.

He first opened and managed, as one of the owners, the Pewabic copper mine, the first successful venture of the kind in the now famous Portage Lake district. He was one of the incorporators of the Franklin mine, in 1857, and of the South Pewabic mine, in 1865; in 1867 he was one of the incorporators of the Ossipee, now the Osceola mine, and in the same year, of the Kearsage mine, his identification with these great mines beginning with their opening. In 1856, with other far-sighted business men, he was one of the promoters of the Portage Lake & River Improvement Company, which was designed to connect Portage Lake by canal with Lake Superior.

In 1869 Mr. Palmer purchased the celebrated Palmer-Loring tract, adjoining the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company’s property. Out of the attempt to defraud Mr. Palmer of his rights, arose the great suit to maintain his claim, which was finally decided in his favor, by the United States Supreme Court. By this decision his old age was crowned with deserved affluence. In 1870, in connection with W. W. Walker, George Jerome and L. S. Smith, the Houghton & Ontonagon Railroad Company was incorporated. After 30 miles of road was built, from Champion to L’Anse, the Marquette & Ontonagon road was bought, the combination forming the important transportation line known now as the Marquette, Houghton & Ontonagon Railroad. These do not by any means cover all of the important enterprises with which Mr. Palmer was identified, in all of which he displayed the excellence of judgment and the clear foresight which is able, without fail, to assure success at the inception as well as at the close of important negotiations.

From 1875 Mr. Palmer remained almost entirely at his home in Pontiac, engaged mainly in the prosecution of his suit, but always wide awake to the needs of the community, and ever ready to champion movements designed to promote the general welfare, and thus materially aided in the advancement of the social, educational and moral interests of this locality. His leadership was generally recognized and it is well known that much credit is due to his tactful management and skillful plans, that the Eastern Michigan Asylum was secured for Pontiac. He also took a great interest in the Michigan Military Academy at Orchard Lake, of which he was a trustee. In religion he was an Episcopalian, and from 1861 until 1877 he served as vestryman of Zion Protestant Episcopal Church of Pontiac.

Charles H. Palmer was distinguished for his culture, his integrity, his fine physique, courteous manners and wide charities. He possessed remarkable powers of analysis and a wonderful capacity and ability for organization. His clear, keen intellect and quick perception gave him that necessary insight for the widest and highest development of any proposition, whether political, educational, or in matters of a purely business nature. He was a man whose temperament was under control, giving him a personal magnetism and a winning address which was notable all through an unusually busy life.