Asa Packer

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Asa Packer

Asa Packer (born December 29, 1805 in Mystic , New London County , Connecticut , †  May 17, 1879 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) was an American businessman and politician . Between 1853 and 1857 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Asa Packer attended the public schools in his home country. In 1820 he moved to Springfield, Pennsylvania, where he trained as a carpenter. In 1833 he settled in Mauch Chunk . There he initially worked in trade; later he ran a boatyard to build canal boats. He also worked in coal processing and the railroad business. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . In 1842 and 1843 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania ; from 1843 to 1844 he was an associate judge in Carbon County . From 1852 he built the Lehigh Valley Railroad , whose president he was at the time of his death.

In the congressional election of 1852 , Packer was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 13th  constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded James Gamble on March 4, 1853 . After a re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1857 . These were shaped by the events leading up to the civil war . In 1856 he renounced another candidacy.

After his time in the US House of Representatives, Asa Packer resumed his previous activities. He also founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem . In 1869 he ran unsuccessfully for governor of Pennsylvania. A year earlier he had already unsuccessfully applied for his party's nomination as a presidential candidate. He died in Philadelphia on May 17, 1879.

Web links

  • Asa Packer in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
predecessor Office successor
James Gamble United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (13th constituency)
March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1857
William Harrison Dimmick