John Palmer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Illinois | |
| In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1897 | |
| Preceded by | Charles B. Farwell |
| Succeeded by | William E. Mason |
| 15th Governor of Illinois | |
| In office January 11, 1869 – January 13, 1873 | |
| Lieutenant | John Dougherty |
| Preceded by | Richard J. Oglesby |
| Succeeded by | Richard J. Oglesby |
| Member of the Illinois Senate | |
| In office 1852–1855 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John McAuley Palmer September 13, 1817 Eagle Creek, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 1900 (aged 83) Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (before 1848, 1852–1856, 1872–1896) Free Soil (1848–1852) Republican (1856–1870) Liberal Republican (1870–1872) National Democratic (1896–1900) |
| Education | Shurtleff College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
|
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1866 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | XIV Corps |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John McAuley Palmer (September 13, 1817 – September 25, 1900) was an American politician. He was an Illinois resident, a general who fought for the Union during the American Civil War, the 15th governor of Illinois, and presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party in the 1896 election on a platform to defend the gold standard, free trade, and limited government.
Palmer switched political parties throughout his life, starting a Democrat. He became in turn an anti-Nebraska Democrat (an anti-slavery opponent of the Kansas-Nebraska Act), a Republican, a Liberal Republican, returned to being a Democrat, then ended as a Bourbon Democrat. He said, "I had my own views. I was not a slave of any party," and added, "I thought for myself and [have] spoken my own words on all occasions."