Palmer was adopted when two days old by a wealthy New York manufacturer, who also adopted an older girl. His adoptive father died when he was nine. His mother and he then moved to California and she married actor Max Palmer and he had an otherwise happy and privileged childhood.

He played baseball from 1965 to 1984, pitching 53 shutouts with a 2.83 ERA, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. After retiring from playing baseball he became a sports commentator and also models clothing, plays golf and gardens. He is also National Sports Chairman for the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

He has no interest in tracing his birth family.

References

Dever, Maria, and Dever, Aileen. Relative Origins: Famous Foster and Adopted People. (Portland: National Book Company, 1992)
Who's Who in America, 1996
Palmer, Jim, and Dale, Jim. Together We Were Eleven Foot Nine. (Kansas City: Andrews & McMeel, 1996)
Roelle, Shannon Ahnji. "Biography: Jim Palmer." Available at: http://www.erols.com/roelle/shannon/JimPalmer.html
Tot@l Sports. "Jim Palmer." Available at: http://totalbaseball.com/player/p/palmj001/palmj001.html

Indexes

European
USA
Fashion, Hairdressing and Modeling; Beauty Queens
Sports
Theater, Broadcasting, Cinema
Formal, American/European-Type Adoption
Birth or Infancy
Others ("Strangers")
Wealthy, Famous, Noble or Divine Adoptive or Foster Families
Divorce or Premature Death of Adoptive Parent(s)
Adoptee/Fosteree Not Interested in Tracing