Background
Palmer, Gary James was born on May 14, 1954 in Haleyville, Alabama, United States. Son of J.C. and Mae (Lacy) Palmer.
public policy research and education executive
Palmer, Gary James was born on May 14, 1954 in Haleyville, Alabama, United States. Son of J.C. and Mae (Lacy) Palmer.
Bachelor of Science in Operations Management/Management Science, University Alabama, 1977.
Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2014, he represents Alabama"s 6th congressional district. Prior to his career as an elected official, Palmer co-founded and served as the long-time president of the Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. He has a bachelor"s degree in operations management from the University of Alabama.
In 1989, Palmer co-founded the Alabama Family Alliance, which later became the Alabama Policy Institute.
Palmer served as president of the conservative think tank for 25 years, stepping down in 2014 to pursue a run for Congress. Palmer helped found the State Policy Network, a nonprofit umbrella organization for conservative and libertarian think tanks which focus on state-level policy, and served as its president
2014 election
Palmer declared his candidacy for the 6th district following the retirement announcement of 11-term incumbent Spencer Bachus. In the Republican primary election—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—Palmer finished second behind state representative Paul DeMarco.
In the ensuing runoff election, Palmer picked up the support of the Club for Growth.
In the November 4, 2014 general election, Palmer defeated Democratic nominee Mark Lester, a history professor at Birmingham-Southern College, 76% to 24%. Committee assignments
Committee on the Budget
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Subcommittee on Interior
Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Subcommittee on Environment
Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
Board directors State Policy Network, 1992-1998, president, 1996-1998. Member of Rotary.
Married Marjorie Ann Cushing, November 19, 1983. Children: Claire Elaine, Kathleen Corrie, Robert William.