Portia Linnea Palmer

Portia Linnea Palmer, a Hyde Park-Kenwood native and public servant, died February 6 in Tallahassee, Florida of natural causes. She was 63 years old. Ms. Palmer enjoyed an exciting, high-profile career in government. Most recently, she served as director of strategic initiatives and special projects in the Florida College System for the Florida Department of Education. Prior to that, she was appointed as clerk of the Florida House of Representatives in 2016, the first African-American woman to hold that position. Her responsibilities included performing the ministerial duties for the 120-member House. Ms. Palmer served her country as a political appointee during the George W. Bush administration in the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Ms. Palmer was USAID's chief spokeswoman with media outlets, as well as internal and external audiences. At the State Department, Ms. Palmer was the primary liaison with governors, mayors and other U.S. elected officials. Other positions in her career include working as the press secretary of the Republican party in Florida, a senior policy advisor for the Miami-Dade County Commission as well as the City of Miami, and serving as chief executive officer of her Washington-based consulting company, Palmer Global Communication Group. When she wasn't working, Ms. Palmer was seeing the world with friends and family members. Her travels took her to Italy, Aruba, Belgium, West Africa and England, among other destinations. Ms. Palmer loved to write, and collected pens, stationery and notebooks. Her loved ones cherish the beautiful postcards, letters and cards she mailed to them over the years. Ms. Palmer was educated in Kenwood at the now-shuttered Harvard St. George School. She graduated from the now-closed Aquinas High School on the city's South Side, and Mount Vernon College, renamed George Washington University, in Washington. Known for her flair for fashion, Ms. Palmer loved dressing boldly and frequently sat in the front row of the Ebony Fashion Fair. Her smile and laugh were infectious and she always rooted for the Bears, long after she left Chicago. She was also a proud godmother, a role she cherished. Ms. Palmer is survived by her brother, Dr. John M. Palmer Jr.; her sister, Leslie E. Adkins (John I. Adkins Jr.); her niece, Lenore T. Adkins and her nephew, Philip I. Adkins, a cousin, Valerie Phillips and her children Luxha and Andres. Portia’s parents, Dr. John M. Palmer and Theresa M. Palmer, preceded her in death. Funeral arrangements will be March 4 at 10am at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 5472 S. Kimbark followed by a repast at Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn at 12:30.

Portia Linnea Palmer

June 15, 1959 - February 6, 2023