John Gendron Palmer Capers

John Gendron Capers (17 April 1866 – 5 September 1919) was an American journalist, attorney, and politician who served as the 18th Commissioner of Internal Revenue from 1907 to 1909.

Early life and education John Gendron Palmer Capers was born in 17 April 1866 in Anderson, South Carolina, to Ellison Capers, the Bishop of South Carolina, and Charlotte Rebecca Palmer. He was the fifth son out of nine siblings, which included his brother, William Theodotus Capers. His ancestry included Methodist Episcopal bishop William Capers as his paternal grandfather and a collateral descendant of Francis Marion by his mother's side.

Capers grew up in Greenville and was said to have an interest in history and biographies when he was a child. He was educated at Professor Mazyck's school in the city, and then at the Patrick Military Institute, and then at the Holy Communion Church Institute (now part of the Porter-Gaud School). He was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court in 1888 and began practicing law that same year. From 1894, he was appointed Assistant United States Attorney in Washington and served that role until 1901, when he was appointed by President William McKinley to be the United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina with his office located in Charleston. He was 53 years old when he died.