Edgar M. Palmer, 1881-1943

Edgar M. Palmer was the son of Stephan S. Palmer, and an heir to the New Jersey Zinc Company fortune. He graduated from Princeton in 1903 and eventually became a charter trustee of Princeton. He was President of The New Jersey Zinc Company, and the Palmer family controlled the company for 46 years until the death of Edgar Palmer in 1943, when the Palmer estate was forced to sell its controlling interest in order to pay inheritance taxes.

In 1910 Edgar married Zilph Hayes, and in 1911 they bought the John Jay Homestead in Rye, New York. In 1935 Edgar gave the Jay property to his his daughter, Mrs. Zilph Palmer Devereux (1912-1981) who expanded the estate and occupied the house until 1966 when she donoted it to be preserved as a conservancy. The Jay Heritage Center is now a national historic landmark. In 1923 Palmer bought what is now known as the "Palmer House." The house, located on the Princeton campus, was built by Charles Steadman, a local architect who built many well-known houses in the community, circa 1823–24. It was originally a wedding present from John Potter of Charleston, South Carolina for Commodore Robert Stockton and his daughter, Maria Potter. Mrs. Zilph Palmer, his widow, bequeathed Palmer House upon her death in 1968 to Princeton University, which has used the home as a guesthouse since 1970.

Edgar Palmer was a prominent benefactor of both the town of Princeton and the University. He donated Palmer Stadium, which was officially was dedicated to his father, Stephen S. Palmer on November 13, 1914, when Princeton played Yale. In a ceremony on the Friday before the Yale game, Edgar Palmer said that in turning over the stadium to the Trustees of Princeton University in memory of his father, his one wish was that the Princeton teams that play there may play fair and straight and preserve the honor and glory of their alma mater.

Edgar Palmer was also instrumental in the The Square that bears his name. A central municipal square was the "dream" of Edgar Palmer, and in 1929, Edgar Palmer announced plans to develop a commercial square in the heart of town, however the project was not completed until 1936 because of the Depression. Palmer's dream was to create a municipal center for Princeton, and in 1929 hired the architect Thomas Stapleton to prepare a Colonial Revival design for the square. An early example of "gentrification," the Square was dependent on the removal of Birch Street and its houses in 1929, the center of the original African-American neighborhood of Princeton, which were relocated to Birch Avenue. As described at the time:

"Last week Princeton Municipal Improvement, a local corporation run by energetic Princeton alumni, prepared to demolish these eyesores, to make way for a new community centre which will effect a balance of beauty between town and gown. Evicted families have already been provided with newly-built homes.

Plans call for a quadrangular development containing a new hotel, community building (postoffice, town hall, library), blocks of shops, a plaza, a park. Estimated cost: $10,000,000. President of the improvement corporation is Edgar Palmer, potent townsman, Princeton alumnus (1903), board chairman of New Jersey Zinc Co., financier (realty, railroads, insurance, public utilities)."

Time Magazine, August 5, 1929

Palmer was also a reknown yachtsman and served as Commodore of American Yacht Club in Rye. He commissioned and sailed the famous three masted schooner Guinevere which he gave to the US Navy during the first World War. After World War I, Edgar built a second Guinevere, a three masted schooner with the first system of diesel powered electric engines on an auxiliary yacht giving her unprecedented maneuvering abilities. The electricity generated also powered her steering and rigging lines as well as lighting and other creature comforts. Modern day sailors would marvel at her flying bridge with dual wheels located at the main mast allowing the helmsman to sit to leeward to see her sails. Competing against yachts designed for racing, she made a strong showing in a famous 1928 transatlantic race for the King Alfonso’s Cup in Spain, placing third. Certainly her Princeton tiger bowsprit was also memorable. In 1942, Palmer donated the second ship to the Navy when the United States entered World War II.

With a shortfall of ships, the Navy relied on donated auxiliary ships to help detect enemy activity. These pleasure boats were painted gray and black, sometimes outfitted with artillery and sonar devices but they didn’t have the firepower of escort destroyers. Because of their vulnerability and use as decoys, they were often called part of the “Suicide Fleet” by their crew.

Edgar Palmer with the Guinevere