Alice Palmer

Who is Alice Palmer?

Alice J. Palmer is an American educator and former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate. Known as a longtime progressive activist, Palmer represented the state's 13th Senate district from June 6, 1991, until January 8, 1997. At the time, the district spanned an economically diverse area and included the Chicago communities of Hyde Park, South Shore and Englewood.

First appointed to fill the vacant seat of retired state senator Richard J. Newhouse, Jr., Palmer successfully ran for election in 1992 and served a four-year term that ended on January 8, 1997. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995, and was succeeded in office by Barack Obama.

Prior to her time in the state legislature, Palmer was executive director of Chicago Cities in Schools program and founding director of the Chicago Metropolitan YMCA Youth and Government Program.