John S. Palmore

John S. Palmore (August 6, 1917 – July 4, 2017) was an American judge who served as Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals from 1959 until it became the Supreme Court of Kentucky in 1975, and on the latter court until his retirement, in 1982. He served as chief justice in 1966, in 1973, and from 1977 to 1982. Early life Palmore's grandfather, Andrew Houston Palmore, was a member of the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Palmore's family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1929, and he graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1934. He then enrolled at Western Kentucky University and also joined the National Guard. After two years at Western Kentucky, he matriculated to the University of Louisville School of Law. In 1939, he graduated cum laude from law school. Palmore began the practice of law in Henderson, Kentucky, but suspended his practice to serve in World War II. On his return from the war, he served as city attorney for Henderson. On January 2, 1954, he began a two-year term as city attorney for Sebree.