Bertha Palmer

Bertha Palmer (May 22, 1849–May 5, 1918) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist.

Biography

Born Bertha Matilde Honoré in Louisville, Kentucky, her father was businessman Henry Hamilton Honoré. Bertha studied in her home town and achieved a reputation as a skilled musician, a proficient linguist, a brilliant writer, a skilled politician, and a fine administrator.

She married Chicago real estate developer Potter Palmer in 1871. She was twenty-one, he was forty-four. Following her marriage, she quickly rose to the nexus of Chicago society. "She was beautiful, dashing, quick, and smart; and more than that, she was sure of herself," wrote historian Ernest Poole.

In 1874, she gave birth to son Honoré, and in 1875, she gave birth to son Potter Palmer II. Both sons went on to have sons named Potter Palmer III, as well as other children. See Who's Who in Chicago (1931).

She was an early member of the Chicago Woman's Club, part of the General Federation of Women's Clubs; this group of working women met to discuss social problems and develop solutions. They supported kindergartens until the city made them part of the school system, and campaigned for inexpensive milk for impoverished children and better care for children of imprisoned mothers.

In 1891 Bertha Palmer was selected as president of the Board of Lady Managers of the World's Columbian Exposition The board was meant largely to be honorary, and the design work left to architect Sophia Hayden, but Bertha used her influence to expand her role and to heighten awareness of women's achievements at the fair. The women of the board made certain that there would be a large Women's Building, filled with examples of women's work, and saw to it that similar exhibits were featured in every one of the state pavilions as well. She invited women everywhere to donate architectural ornaments for the building, resulting in a patchwork quilt of a structure. She did so without telling Hayden, who knew that such a hodgepodge of materials would result in an aesthetic nightmare. Palmer's continued stubbornness regarding the Woman's Building and struggle for control eventually led Hayden to suffer from an emotional breakdown. Soon after this appointment, Bertha Palmer travelled to Europe to promote interest in the Exposition. While there she began her passion for collecting new Impressionist paintings — when she returned home two years later she had twenty-nine Monets and eleven Renoirs in tow. Many of these now form the core of the Art Institute of Chicago's Impressionist collection.

Vast sums were spent on the Palmer mansion in Chicago, starting with $100,000 and going over $1 million. Potter Palmer dictated in his will that a sum of money should go to whoever next married Bertha. When asked why he would be so generous to his own replacement, he replied, "Because he'll need it."

She also maintained homes in London and Paris and following her husband's death in 1902 rumours abounded that she would marry a titled man. Among the suspected suitors were the earl of Munster, the duke of Atholl, the prince of Monaco, and the king of Serbia. However, these rumours all proved to be unfounded when she remained unmarried.

In September of 1907, Bertha Palmer and her son Potter II took part in the maiden voyage of the new Cunard liner "RMS Lusitania" from Liverpool to New York.

Bertha Palmer became interested in the winter climate of Florida and in 1910 bought up over 80,000 acres of land in and around Sarasota, Florida — about one-third of the land in what was then the massive county named, Manatee. In 1914, she bought convert|19000|acre|km2 of land as an exclusive hunting preserve called "River Hills Ranch" in northeast Hillsborough County Florida. After her death, her sons inherited the land and eventually sold it to two developers who created Temple Terraces, Inc. (eventually developed as Temple Crest, later annexed by Tampa) and Temple Terrace Estates, Inc., now known as Temple Terrace, Florida. She became a progressive rancher, land developer, and farm developer who introduced many innovations to encourage the Florida ranching, citrus, dairy, and farming industries. Palmer was one of the first famous people to winter in Florida, beginning a now-common practice. She encouraged wealthy friends and associates in her international social circles to spend winters along Sarasota Bay and her other Florida land interests and promoted the development of many land parcels; today much of that land is still known as Palmer Ranch. The major roads through her property were named by her as well as some connecting to the existing communities. Those names remain unchanged as, Honoré, Lockwood Ridge, Tuttle, Webber, and MacKintosh. She proved herself to be an astute businesswoman: within sixteen years after her husband's death she managed to double the value of the estate he had left her. After her death, a large parcel of her land was donated (donated according to Sarasota County, sold according to the state) by her sons to become Myakka River State Park.

Death

Upon her death at her winter residence, "The Oaks" in Osprey, Florida, her body was returned to Chicago to lie in state at "the Castle", the sumptuous mansion Potter Palmer had built on Chicago's Gold Coast. Bertha Palmer is buried alongside her husband in Graceland Cemetery.

See also

References

External links

* [http://www.scgov.net/CommunityServices/HistoryCenter/Historic_Sarasota/palmer.asp Bertha Honoré Palmer] in Sarasota County Biographies