Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1390

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

0.4 linear_foot (2 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Lichtenberg family collection of A. Mitchell Palmer material, 1912-1996 (bulk: 1912-1934), Ms. Coll. 1390, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1912-1996 (inclusive) and 1912-1934 (bulk)

Creator:

Lichtenberg family and Palmer, A. Mitchell (Alexander Mitchell)

Form:

Caricatures, Bibliographies, Biographies, and Photographs

Abstract:

A. Mitchell Palmer was a Democratic politician from Pennsylvania who served as Congressman, Alien Property Custodian and Attorney General between 1908 and 1921. This collection consists of material largely relating to Palmer's political career, from 1912 until his retirement in 1921. Researchers will find material created during Palmer's life time as well as material collected, after his death, by family, including photographs, political cartoons, material relating to his unsuccessful 1920 run for president, and an address given by Palmer at Swarthmore College.

Alexander Mitchell Palmer (best known as A. Mitchell Palmer) was born on May 4, 1872, in Moosehead, Pennsylvania, the son of Samuel Bernard Palmer and Caroline Albert. His Quaker affiliations led Palmer to enroll in Swarthmore College, a Quaker institution, from which he graduated in 1891. Although he did not complete his law degree, he passed the Pennsylvania bar exam in 1893, and began practicing in a small firm in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1901, he took over the firm completely, becoming one of the most prominent attorneys in Monroe County. An active supporter of the Democratic Party, Palmer gradually became involved in politics in the 1890s, and in 1900, he was elected president of the Stroudsburg Democratic Club. He was elected U.S. Congressman in 1908, and was later re-elected in 1910 and 1912. In 1912, he supported Woodrow Wilson during the presidential campaign.

After he unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 1914, Palmer was appointed by Wilson as Alien Property Custodian, a position that he held until 1919. His duties included the controversial process of expropriating and reselling enemy properties in the United States. As Alien Property Custodian, Palmer was the responsible for the sale of over 5,000 German chemical patents to the Chemical Foundation, a private corporation founded in 1919 by Wilson, who chose Francis Patrick Garvan to serve as its president. Garvan took Palmer's place as Alien Property Custodian in 1919, when Palmer, again supported by Wilson, became Attorney General. During his service, Palmer and his family were twice targeted by Italian anarchist, Luigi Galleani, who along with his followers, orchestrated a series of mail bombings in April, 1919, and home bombings in June, 1919. The recipients of the bombs were government officials who had supported anti-sedition laws and the deportation of immigrants suspected of crimes, as well as judges who had sentenced anarchists to prison. Palmer's home was largely destroyed. The First Red Scare years (1919-1920) followed and Palmer promoted a huge number of police actions -- which would be known as Palmer raids -- against groups of suspected radicals and U.S. aliens, who were often arrested without warrants.

Palmer was a Democratic Party nominee for president in 1920, but he was eventually defeated by Ohio governor James Cox. He retired from government office in 1921, and returned to his law practice. In the following years Palmer's precarious health prevented him from returning to political life, but he continued to support the Democratic Party, and in 1932, he supported Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1932 National Convention. Palmer died from a heart attack in Washington, D.C. on May 11, 1936.

This collection consists of material largely relating to Palmer's political career, from 1912 until his retirement in 1921. Researchers will find material created during Palmer's life time as well as material collected, after his death, by family.

The greatest portion of material documents Palmer's position as attorney general under Woodrow Wilson and his run for Presidency in 1920. There are a number of items showing Palmer's prominent position within the Democratic party, including medals from his involvement in the Democratic National Conventions from 1912 to 1920, inscribed photographs of Joseph Gurney Cannon and William Howard Taft, a photocopy of a letter from Wilson, a photograph of Wilson's cabinet, political cartoons illustrating his national presence and his political stances on issues, and a booklet and newspaper regarding his run for president. There are several newspaper clippings relating to the bombing of his home in June, 1919, by the Galleanists, but there is no other mention of the event in Palmer's material. The collection contains Palmer's Baccalaureate address at Swarthmore College, his alma mater, and possibly a photograph of him following the presentation of the Honorary degree of doctor of laws. This group of material also includes some material relating to his later years including his last will and testament and legal records relating to his shares in the Monroe County Water Supply Company.

Material about A. Mitchell Palmer includes a bibliography of works relating to Palmer, a published biography of Palmer, and photographs of Palmer's homes in Washington, DC, and Stroudsburg, PA.