[2] His father was Henry W. Palmer, who served as Attorney General of the State of Pennsylvania, 1879–1883, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1901–1907 and 1909.

At Exeter, Palmer was involved in The Exonian, debate club, the Christian Fraternity, and the G. L. Soule Literary Society, as well as playing tennis, baseball, and lacrosse, and being his class secretary.

In that year, however, he created the United Fruit Company by a merger of Preston's firm and the banana import business of Minor Cooper Keith.

[9] Palmer never married, but was involved in the social life of the North Shore of Massachusetts, which is relatively densely populated with horse farms.

After the War, Palmer continued serving his country after being appointed by President Wilson to the delegation to the Paris Peace Conference.

In Palmer's own words: "At the end of the War, President Wilson required someone familiar with the operations of the Alien Property Custodian to attend the peace conferences in Paris.

I had no official title, but was assigned as the representative of the United States to several sub-committees whose duty was to prepare the provisions of the treatise of economic character.

Our sphere covered restoration of business relations, adjustment of private contracts, property rights and interests, and similar considerations.

For his work during the Paris Peace Conference, Palmer was decorated by France, Belgium, and Romania, as well as receiving a letter of commendation from the United States government.

At one point, he owned over 10,000 acres (40 km2) on the North Shore of Massachusetts in towns such as Boxford, Georgetown, Hamilton, Ipswich, Rowley, and Topsfield.

The mansion was built in 1902 by Charles K. Cummings, who described the original structure as having, a rather unusual arrangement, the master’s house, the quarters for a farmer or caretaker, and the stable, all being joined together under one roof.

This was done with a view to economy of construction and management; and especially during the winter months this grouping together of quarters, which more often appear as separate buildings, has been found convenient and agreeable[14] In 1915, Palmer renovated the mansion, moving the stables and coach house to separate buildings and replacing them with a dining room and ballroom respectively.

By 1944, Palmer had donated all of his land holdings in Massachusetts to the Commonwealth, leasing back the 107 acres (0.43 km2) surrounding his mansion.

The mansion became a civil defense training academy, before it fell into disrepair and was eventually leased for renovation by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.