An Orangeburg, South Carolina, native, Kate Salley Palmer graduated from the University of South Carolina with a major in elementary education. She began freelance cartooning with the Greenville News in 1975 and in 1978 she became their first full-time editorial cartoonist. She was syndicated by Field (later News America Syndicate) in 1980. Her syndication ended in 1989, after which she has devoted her efforts to writing and illustrating children’s books.
Her children's books feature South Carolina history in beautifully illustrated and beautifully told stories.