John Palmer

John Palmer (17 June 1760 – 27 September 1833) was a commissary of New South Wales, responsible for the colony's supplies. He arrived with the First Fleet in 1788, and was opposed to those who plotted against Governor William Bligh. One of eight children, John Palmer was born in Portsmouth. He first came to Sydney in 1788 as Purser on the Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet. In September 1796 he left briefly for England in the Britannia to bring back his family to settle permanently in New South Wales. He returned in November 1800 on board the Porpoise with his wife and two surviving sons out of his then six children. One son had been born on the voyage out at Cape Town, but had died at sea less than one month later and before they had reached Sydney. Also with him was an unmarried naval officer brother Christopher Palmer (1767–1821), and two unmarried sisters Sarah Sophia Palmer (1774–?) and Sophia Palmer (1777–1833). In 1801, Sophia married the merchant Robert Campbell and John Palmer acted as his agent during Campbell's absence in England in 1805 and 1806. Palmer was appointed commissary general of New South Wales on 2 June 1791. In this post, he was responsible for the reception and issue of all government stores, virtually the only supplies in the colony, and their supplement by purchase from private merchants. He negotiated payment for official business and was empowered to draw bills on the British Treasury. In effect, he kept the public accounts and funds of the colony and was at once official supplier, contractor and banker to the settlement. Whilst in England in the period 1810 to 1814, Palmer was demoted to Assistant Commissary in 1811, but in June 1813 was re-employed in the Commissariat. He returned to New South Wales in May 1814, where he continued to work for the Commissariat until he was retired on half-pay in 1819.