Joe H. Palmer
Joe H. Palmer was a notable figure in the world of horse racing journalism, born in 1904 in Lexington, Kentucky. He grew up in Kentucky's Bluegrass region, where his passion for horse racing flourished. After completing his bachelor's degree in English at the University of Kentucky, he embarked on a teaching career while pursuing further studies at the University of Michigan. Although he did not finish his Ph.D., Palmer's writing career took off as he became a contributor to The Blood Horse, a magazine focusing on horse breeding. He was known for his insightful and literary sportswriting, often incorporating challenging vocabulary and addressing the complexities and darker aspects of horse racing.
Palmer transitioned to various editorial roles, including serving as the editor of American Race Horses and later becoming the horse-racing editor for the New York Herald Tribune. His columns reached a broad audience, engaging not just racing enthusiasts but also general readers. His perspective viewed horse racing as a reflection of human behavior, rather than just a sport. Palmer passed away from a heart attack in 1952 at the age of 48, leaving behind a respected legacy that includes the posthumous publication of his work and the establishment of the Joe Palmer Award for Meritorious Service by the National Turf Writers Association.
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Joe H. Palmer
Writer
- Born: 1904
- Birthplace: Lexington, Kentucky
- Died: October 31, 1952
Biography
Horse racing was at the center of Joe H. Palmer’s life. Born in 1904 in Lexington, Kentucky, and raised in Kentucky Bluegrass country, Palmer was the son of Joe H. and Sarah Frances Doyle Palmer. He attended the University of Kentucky, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1927 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He then taught English at the University of Kentucky for four years while working on his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, where he had earned a master’s degree in 1928. However, Palmer never completed his doctoral dissertation.
While working on his doctorate, Palmer became a regular contributor to a weekly magazine about horse breeding, The Blood Horse. He had long harbored a love of horse racing, so he found satisfaction in writing about a subject related to it. His writing for The Blood Horse was insightful and vigorous, two qualities that often were absent from sportswriting. Ever the English teacher, Palmer peppered his sportswriting with literary allusions. Each of his columns consciously included one word that would likely send his readers to the dictionary. He also exposed the seedier side of horse racing. Thomas B. Cromwell, the publisher of The Blood Horse, eventually appointed Palmer associate editor and then business manager of the magazine.
In 1944, Palmer left The Blood Horse to become editor of American Race Horses, and in the same year he became executive secretary of the American Trainers’ Association. Two years later, he moved to New York City, where he became horse-racing editor of the New York Herald Tribune, a position he held until his death. By the time he moved to New York, Palmer had published four books a about horse racing and breeding.
His columns for the Herald Tribune appealed to a a wide range of readers, including people who were not horse racing enthusiasts. In his first Herald Tribune column, he warned readers that his “contention isn’t that everything is all right in racing. If there is any considerable industry involving millions of dollars and thousands of men in which everything is all right, it ought to be stuffed and put on exhibition.” For Palmer, horse racing reached far beyond the sport itself, reflecting the paradoxical behavior of humankind as well as the activities of horses. Unlike many sportswriters, Palmer disdained most sports. He looked favorably on horse racing, boxing, and, quite surprisingly, cock fighting
Palmer suffered a heart attack and died in 1952, at the age of forty-eight. His legacy as a sports writer was considerable. The year after his death, sportswriter Red Smith, in consultation with Palmer’s sons, Stephen and Joseph, edited a collection of Palmer’s columns, This Was Racing. In recognition of Palmer’s contributions, the National Turf Writers Association established the Joe Palmer Award for Meritorious Service.