William F. Packer
| William Fisher Packer | |
|---|---|
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| 14th Governor of Pennsylvania | |
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In office January 19, 1858 – January 15, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | James Pollock |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Gregg Curtin |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives | |
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In office 1847 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | April 2, 1807 Howard, Pennsylvania |
| Died | September 27, 1870 (aged 63) Williamsport, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary W. Vanderbilt (m. 1829–?) |
| Religion | Quaker |
William Fisher Packer (April 2, 1807 – September 27, 1870) was the 14th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1858 to 1861.
His father was James Packer from Chester County, Pennsylvania and his mother was Charity Packer. His ancestry was primarily Quakers from Philadelphia. He was descended from Philip Packer, II (1664 - 1739), who was born in Groombridge, Kent, England and settled in West Jersey. When William was seven years old, his father died, leaving him and his four siblings to help run the house.
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.
Packer studied law in Williamsport, Pennsylvania under future member of Congress Joseph Biles Anthony but did not practice, choosing instead to stay in the newspaper business. In 1829, he purchased a controlling share and became the editor of the Lycoming Gazette which he published until 1836. While working at the Lycoming Gazette, he began an early foray into politics as a major supporter of the construction of the West Branch of the Pennsylvania Canal. The state legislators in Philadelphia had opposed funding the construction and Packer penned an address to Philadelphia to raise public support for the project. The campaign worked and the Philadelphia delegation reversed their position to support the canal.
Packer married Mary W. Vanderbilt on December 24, 1829. The couple had ten children.
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. 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. A schism in the Democratic Party cost Wolf re-election and Packer a Senate seat.
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