John Black Packer (Sunbury, PA)
John Black Packer (Mar. 21, 1824 – July 7, 1891)
Biography
- Name: John Black Packer
- Birth: March 21, 1824 Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania
- Death: July 7, 1891 Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Early life and family
John Black Packer was born in Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania on March 21, 1824. He was the eldest son of Hon. Samuel J. Packer, a Pennsylvania State Senator. He received private instructions and later attended Sunbury Academy.
In 1851, Mr. Packer married Miss Mary M. Cameron of Lewisburg, a daughter and fifth child of William and Ellen Cameron and niece of General Simon Cameron. William Cameron was a president of the Bank of Northumberland and later, president of The Lewisburg National Bank. When he died in 1877, he left the greater part of his estate which was worth over a million dollars to his daughter, Mrs. Packer.
Career highlights
Mr. Packer was one of the organizers of the Susquehanna Railroad Co. in 1851. He helped survey the route of the Pennsylvania Railroad between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh and was largely instrumental in building the Northern Central Railway which was completed in 1858.
He was admitted to the Northumberland County bar in 1844 and served as a deputy attorney general from 1845 to 1847. In 1849 he was elected to the lower house of the Pennsylvania Legislature as a Democrat and was re-elected in 1850. In 1857 he was elected President of the Bank of Northumberland and led it through a conversion to a national bank. He was president of the First National Bank of Sunbury until his death and was succeeded by his brother Samuel J. Packer. Samuel read law with his brother and was admitted to the bar in 1860; he was the cashier in the Bank of Northumberland and the First National while his brother served as president.
In 1868, Mr. Packer was elected to Congress on the Republican ticket in the 14th district which then included the counties of Dauphin, Juniata, Northumberland, Snyder and Union. He was re-elected three times in succession. He served as Chairman, Committee on Railways and Canals (Forty-second Congress) and was on the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads (Forty-third Congress). He retired from Congress in 1877, having declined a unanimous re-nomination in 1876.
Later life and death
In May 1891, Ex-Congressman John B. Packer of Sunbury who sat four terms in Congress and with Seth Comly, had long held a prominent place at the Northumberland bar, was at the Girard National Bank of Philadelphia in company with Mr. George W. Ryon of Shamokin. They shared three cases before the Supreme Court from that section and also had railroad matters to attend.
On the morning of July 7, 1891, Hon. John B. Parker died suddenly of heart failure. He was aged 70 years. He was one of the most prominent lawyers in Central Pennsylvania and at the time of his death he was president of the First National Bank of Sunbury.
Mary M. Packer died in 1905. She was one of the most highly respected and wealthiest citizens and whose charity was almost without limit. It was through Mrs. Packer's charity and love to assist suffering humanity that the Mary M. Packer Hospital at Sunbury was founded. She is buried with her husband at Pomfret Manor Cemetery, Sunbury.
Bank Officer Summary
During his banking career, John B. Packer was involved with the following bank(s):
- Bank of Northumberland: President 1857-1865
- First National Bank, Sunbury, PA (Charter 1237): President 1865-1891
- The Lewisburg National Bank, Lewisburg, PA (Charter 745): Director unk-1891
Sources
- Congressional Biography of Hon. John Black Packer.
- Hon. John Black Packer on Findagrave.com.
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- The Philadelphia Times, Philadelphia, PA, Tue., May 26, 1891.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue., July 7, 1891.
- The News-Journal, Lancaster, PA, Wed., July 8, 1891.
- Lewisburg Journal, Lewisburg, PA, Fri., July 29, 1904.
- Public Press, Northumberland, PA, Fri., Dec. 8, 1905.