Palmer C. Ricketts

Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts (January 17, 1856 – December 9, 1934) was the ninth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He served as president for 33 years and oversaw a period of major expansion and development of the university.

Personal life Palmer C. Ricketts was born in Elkton, Maryland, on January 17, 1856, and was educated privately at Princeton, New Jersey. His father, also named Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts, was the founder of the local newspaper, the Cecil Whig. From 1891 to 1892, he served as chief engineer for the Troy Public Improvement Commission, helping the city design new water and sewage systems. In 1897 and 1898, Ricketts was a consulting engineer for flood control for the River Commission of Corning, New York.

Ricketts and his wife were both active in local affairs, and Ricketts himself served as director of the Troy Chamber of Commerce from 1900 to 1902. In 1933, just one year before he would die in office, he was honored as "the most outstanding citizen of Troy."