Jim Palmer was born in New York City on October 15, 1945, which was same year world war two ended, the year the United States joined the United Nations and the beginning of the cold war era. Moe Weisen, a wealthy executive in the garment industry, and Polly Wiesen, who owned a dress shop, adopted Jim a couple days after birth.   The family lived in a mansion in New York City and gave Jim the name James Alvin Wiesen. He had an older sister named Bonnie who was also adopted around the same time. Jim’s father was Jewish and his mother was Catholic, but religion was not a big aspect of Jim’s life growing up.

When Jim was nine years old his father passed away and shortly after his fathers passing, Jim’s mother moved his family from New York to California. In California Palmer’s mother married Max Palmer, an actor who appeared on many television shows. Television was still relatively new and colored television had just recently been invented. Max became close with Jim and soon he adopted Jim and his sister, giving Jim the Palmer name. In Jim’s younger years he dreamed of becoming a baseball player, starring in all his leagues. Before Jim started high school his family moved to Arizona. In high school Jim was not only a start in baseball, but also football, basketball and even did well academically.

Jim played baseball on a summer league after graduating high school. The Orioles director Harry Dalton scouted and was impressed by Jim and recruited him to play for the Orioles starting in 1965. Right before Jim started spring training he married Susan Ryan, a girl from his high school. Jim played for the Orioles for nineteen years. Starting in the late 1970s, while Palmer was still an active player, he started broadcasting. He did many advertisements on television and billboards promoting a variety of products.

Palmer lived during a time of change. He was apart of the post World War II generation. Many things influenced America’s society during this time. This time period was filled with intense anxiety and creative change. There was the Civil Rights Movement, where African Americas demanded equality and desegregation. Palmer was not affected directly to discrimination and the Civil Rights Movement, but he witnessed these important events first hand. Growing up he went to school during a time when they were starting desegregation, which there was much controversy about. Palmer grew up with race riots sparking throughout the nation, but since he lived in the North and then out West he did not see the intense controversy that was mainly in the South. As he entered the MLB he played with African American players and never seemed to be bothered by the color of someone’s skin.

WWII pulled America out of the depression and resulted in economic expansion, which Palmer was affected by growing up in a wealthy family. America is remembered to be a happy and prosperous nation during the post war era, resulting in the trends such as the baby boom. The entertainment industry was booming as well as well, which had an influence on Palmer in his post baseball years. Despite the economic expansion and prosperity following WWII, America was flooded with intense anxiety during this time due to things such as nuclear threats, race riots, and the fear of communism spreading. Palmer was probably not affected by this anxious time because he was so young, but it did shape America and baseball into what Palmer knows well.