William F. Packer
William Fisher Packer | |
---|---|
Pennsylvania Senate for the 12th district | |
In office 1851–1852 | |
Preceded by | Henry Fulton |
Succeeded by | Jacob Samils Haldeman |
Personal details | |
Born | April 2, 1807 Howard, Pennsylvania, US |
Died | September 27, 1870 Williamsport, Pennsylvania, US | (aged 63)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Mary W. Vanderbilt (m. 1829–?) |
Signature | |
William Fisher Packer (April 2, 1807 – September 27, 1870) was an American politician from
Early and personal life
Packer was born in
At the age of 13 he began work as a printer's apprentice at the Sunbury Public Inquirer and later at the Bellefonte Patriot. He also worked as a journeyman at Simon Cameron's newspaper the Pennsylvania Intelligencer in Harrisburg.[3]
Packer studied law in
Packer married Mary W. Vanderbilt on December 24, 1829. The couple had ten children.[4]
Entry into politics
Packer's support for the canal did not go unnoticed and in 1832, he was appointed by the Canal Commission to serve as Superintendent of the canals.[3] The position was abolished in 1835 and Packer spent most of that year working for the re-election of Governor George Wolf and running for the Pennsylvania State Senate.[3] A schism in the Democratic Party cost Wolf re-election and Packer a Senate seat.
In 1836, Packer co-founded
After an unsuccessful bid for the
In the State Senate, Packer was an ardent supporter of railroad development in Central Pennsylvania, working towards the establishment of the Susquehanna Railroad.[3] At the time, state policy was to restrain railroad development in southern Pennsylvania which would benefit Baltimore rather than Philadelphia. The act to authorize the railroad connected the York and Cumberland Railroad to cities like Williamsport and Sunbury and increased their access to regional trade. In 1852, Packer became the first President of the Susquehanna, stepping aside after the line was consolidated into the Northern Central Railway.[3]
During the
Governor
In 1857, Packer was nominated as the Democratic Party Candidate for Governor. He was opposed by David Wilmot, author of the Wilmot Proviso which aimed to ban the expansion of slavery to territories acquired from Mexico, and Isaac Hazlehurst of the Native American Party.[7] The Panic of 1857 had crippled the nation's economy, including the Pennsylvania iron industry. With strong support for tariffs in more normal times, the Panic increased Pennsylvania's support for high tariffs, a stance which hurt the pro-free trade Wilmot.[7] The question of the day, however, remained the issue of slavery in Kansas. Packer forwarded a letter to his friend, President Buchanan, supporting the Kansas-Nebraska Act, but opposing an expansion of slavery in that state without a free and open process.[3] The split of the Republicans and Know Nothings made it difficult to defeat the united Democrats and Packer swept into office.[7]
A large crowd attended his inaugural ceremonies on January 19, 1858.[8]
In dealing with the economic crisis caused by the Panic, Packer vehemently blamed banks and the free issue of paper money over gold and silver coinage.[6] As part of a recovery plan, the Governor approved legislation to requiring state banks to limit the issue of paper currency to amounts covered by real security deposited with the state.[6]
In 1859, Packer sought to end the state's involvement in construction and management of canals and railroads, selling off the state's investments to the Sunbury and Erie Railroad.[6]
Governor Packer was a proponent of public schools and supported the new public school system with funds for teacher training. Packer also used his veto power to stop attacks on the new public education system by forces in the legislature.[6]
As his term came to an end, southern states had begun seceding from the union. Packer recommended that the nation's differences be addressed in a national convention.[6] He opposed secession and, in his final address to the General Assembly, he stated, "It is therefore clear, that there is no Constitutional right of secession. Secession is only another form of nullification. Either, when attempted to be carried out by force, is rebellion, and should be treated as such, by those whose sworn duty it is to maintain the supremacy of the Constitution and laws of the United States."[3]
Packer retired from public life after the end of his term and died September 27, 1870, in Williamsport.[9] He is interred at Williamsport Cemetery.
Places named for William F. Packer
Packer Hall - A residence hall on the
Packer Street Williamsport PA
See also
- Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
References
- ^ "The Governors of Pennsylvania." Mount Union, Pennsylvania: The Mount Union Times, January 27, 1911, p. 1 (subscription required).
- ^ a b "Pennsylvania State Senate - William Fisher Packer Biography". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l William Crawford Armor (1874). Lives of the governors of Pennsylvania: with the incidental history of the state, from 1609 to 1873. Davis. pp. 443–449.
- ^ a b "Governor William Fisher Packer". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ "House Speaker Biographies William F. Packer (1848-1849)". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Howard Malcolm Jenkins (1903). Pennsylvania, colonial and federal: a history, 1608-1903, Volume 2. Pennsylvania Historical Pub. Association. pp. 354–366.
- ^ ISBN 9780807124925.
- ^ Sheridan, Leo W. "Great Crowds Attended Ceremonies of Inaugurals As Capitol Was Filled." Lock Haven, Pennsylvania: The Express, November 30, 1934, p. 4 (subscription required).
- ^ "Death of Ex-Governor Packer". Harrisburg Telegraph. September 27, 1870. p. 2. Retrieved May 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.