Sir Walter Palmer, 1st Baronet

Sir Walter Palmer, 1st Baronet (4 February 1858 – 16 April 1910) was a biscuit manufacturer and Conservative Party politician who served in the House of Commons from 1900 to 1906.[1]

Palmer was born in Reading, Berkshire the son of George Palmer who founded the firm of Huntley & Palmer, biscuit manufacturers.[2] He was educated at University College London, and also at the Sorbonne, Paris. He became a director of the firm and was also the first chairman of University College, Reading.[2] In 1900 he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Berkshire.[3]

In 1900 Palmer was elected Member of Parliament for Salisbury.[4] He lost his seat in the general election of 1906 by the narrow margin of 41 votes.[5] In 1904 he was made a baronet.

Palmer married Jean Craig, daughter of William Young Craig. Their daughter, Gladys Milton Palmer, married Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke, heir-apparent of the White Rajahs of Sarawak, titled "His Highness The Tuan Muda of Sarawak" in 1904.[2] Gladys converted to Islam in 1932.[6]

Palmer died on 16 April 1910 at Newbury at the age of 52; the baronetcy became extinct.

  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
  2. ^ a b c Burke's Peerage
  3. ^ "No. 27244". The London Gazette. 6 November 1900. p. 6784.
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 2)
  5. ^ Craig, FWS (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918. London: Macmillan. p. 181.
  6. ^ French, Paul (2 March 2019). "The last king of Xinjiang: how Bertram Sheldrake went from condiment heir to Muslim monarch". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 20 July 2019.