John Palmer (12 June 1825 – 24 November 1870) was an Australian businessman and politician. He is most notable for being the first mayor of the regional Australian city of Rockhampton Background Palmer was born in the Irish town of Birr in 1825, the youngest of ten children. He departed Plymouth, England on 24 November 1840, sailing to Australia and arriving on 11 March 1841. In 1856, his brother Richard Palmer established the first general merchant store in Rockhampton, Queensland. The building, constructed of sawn timber, was built on the riverbank at the bottom end of Fitzroy Street diaganally opposite the original Bush Inn. The site is now occupied with the southern span of the Fitzroy Bridge, which was constructed prior to the bridge opening in 1952. Palmer's store and the Bush Inn were the first two dwellings in what is now the city centre. John Palmer than took over the business in 1856, around the time of the gold rush at Canoona, north-west of Rockhampton, when business activities in Rockhampton increased dramatically. In August 1860, a petition was created to lobby the Queensland Government to proclaim Rockhampton as a municipality, with Palmer being one of the many signatories. On 15 December 1860, Rockhampton was declared as Queensland's fourth municipality. The first aldermen of the Rockhampton Municipal Council were elected on 26 February 1861 after voting took place by ballot. The men were all sworn in on 20 March 1861, with John Palmer being sworn in as the inaugural mayor. Palmer only served in the position for eleven months before resigned due to his business interests often taking him away from Rockhampton. However, he served on the council for several more years as an alderman. Throughout his public service, Palmer was known for his advocacy of education. He was one of several community leaders to push for the establishment of the Rockhampton School of Arts. When a meeting was held on 23 July 1861 at the Rockhampton courthouse, Palmer was elected to the preliminary School of Arts committee which was formed to advocate for such a facility. In January 1862, Palmer was appointed to the official committee, alongside the likes of other Rockhampton identities of the time such as Anthelme Thozet and Albrecht Feez. Personal life and death Palmer was a younger brother to Henry Palmer, who was elected as the first mayor of Maryborough in 1861 before entering state