Historic Highlights: Gov. Palmer signed Public Library Act into effect

Whenever Illinois residents use their local public libraries, they can thank one of the best governors in state history for the privilege.

Gov. John M. Palmer, who served as chief executive from 1869-73, signed the Illinois Public Library Act on March 7, 1872, creating the tax-supported, free-usage public libraries that Illinoisans know today. The act revolutionized statewide library usage, and remains a standard by which libraries are governed today.

It is a forgotten hallmark in the career of Palmer, who is widely considered one of the state’s most effective governors. In contrast to the sordid political history of Illinois, Palmer was known for his decency; even his political enemies conceded his honesty.

Before the Public Library Act, Illinois residents had no access to free reading and had to join private organizations for library material.

Social libraries in Illinois date to 1818 with the founding of such organizations in Albion and Edwardsville. A subscription library was founded in Belleville in 1821, and by 1872, there were an estimated 40 such libraries across the state.

As the decades passed, a movement arose to promote the formation of public libraries, and it came to a head when Palmer signed the Public Library Act into law. The act passed the Illinois House 124-4 and carried the Senate 34-1.

The act authorized cities, incorporated towns, and townships to maintain free public libraries and reading rooms “for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of each city.”

A public library board was to consist of nine members and was charged with creating rules and regulations for governing and financing the library. The board also had the power to “appoint a suitable librarian and necessary assistants” and “in general, carry out the spirit of the act.”

Under the law, “every library and reading room ... shall be forever free to the use of the inhabitants of the city.”

The act was spurred by the catastrophic Chicago Fire of the previous Oct. 8, in which all libraries of the city were lost in the flames. The first Illinois community to establish a public library was Elgin, on April 2, 1872. Chicago followed one day later.

The Public Library Act is likely traced to Palmer’s love of reading and education. Accounts of Palmer’s life repeatedly refer to books. Before entering politics, he taught school near Canton, Illinois, and is credited with teaching many members of his family how to read.

The act was not Palmer’s only contribution to libraries during his administration. He directed the State Librarian to distribute high numbers of surplus books at the State Library to “various library associations and educational institutions” across the state.

This spread of information is one of the State Library’s earliest efforts at what became one of its primary functions, the distribution of reading materials to Illinois citizens.

Palmer, who spent his youth in Wood River and lived in Carlinville from 1838-67, was elected governor in 1868. A U.S. senator from 1891-97, Palmer was mentioned as a vice-presidential possibility in the year before the 1884 election and received a groundswell of support for president early in 1892. In 1896, he ran for president on the third-party Gold Democratic ticket.

Unlike most leading figures of Illinois political history, Palmer’s career is defined by a lack of controversy. A major general in the Civil War, Palmer helped establish the Carlinville Democrat before the war and later owned the Illinois State Register. He married Hannah Lamb, the city librarian of Springfield, in 1888, three years after his first wife’s death.

Visitors to the Palmer home in Springfield in the late 1800s recalled Palmer sitting contentedly as his wife read classic works to him.

A 2003 study of U.S. senators from Illinois wrote that Palmer was second only to Lincoln among the greats of 19th-century Illinois political history. Palmer died at his Springfield home on Sept. 25, 1900, and is buried in the Carlinville City Cemetery.

On Oct. 16, 1923, a statue of Palmer was dedicated on the grounds of the current Illinois statehouse.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.