The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-05
Sketch of the Democratic Candidate for
Governor of Pennsylvania.

The Hon. Asa Packer was born in 1906,
i'm Groton, New Lisbon county, Conn, and
in 1922, with his outfit strapped in KNAPP
sack on his back, removed to Springville,
Susauehanna county, Pa, and apprenticed
himself to a carpenter of that village On
arriving at the age of 21, with his scanty
savings he purchased small lot of land
upon the upper waters of the Susquehan-
ma, and settled down as farmer. In 1888
he removed to the Lehigh valley, and, as
master of his own boat, engaged In the
transportation of coal from Mauch Chunk
to Philadelphia The managers of the
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company,
attracted by the energy and industry OF
Asa Packer, secured his services for the
corporation at a liberal compensation, and
in 1855 Asa and his brother, II. w.
Packer, aided by an uncle, established
themselves at Mauch Chunk, in the gen
eral merchandise business. The cash
capital of the firm was only $4,000, but in
q Short time their business became widely
extended, and embraced not only the
ordinary transactions of country store
but the erection of locks and dams for the
canal, the working of coal veins leased
from til Lehigh company, and at last
the W rking of the HaZeltOn mines,
owned ~ the Packers The firm shipped
coal to New York and Philadelphia, not
only by the Lehigh, but also by the
Schuvlkill river. In 1850. Asa Packer en-
tered on the work of building the Lehigh
Valley railroad, having become the owner
of a controlling portion of the stock of a
company chartered in 1916, but not foot
of the line OF which had been built; In
fact only II days of the limit for com
mencing the road yet remained. Packer
i'm October, 1851, submitted proposition
to build Is miles of the road from Mauch
Chunk to EastOn, and receive his pay in
stock and bonds This proposition was
accepted, and the work, under pressing
financial embarrassments, was vigorously
pressed to completion, and the entire line
was delivered in September, 1855. The
success attending upon Packers exertiOn'
to build the Lehigh Valley railroad laio
the foundation of his fortunes as COO
and railroad operator, and he IS now
worth, it is estimated, between S15,OOO,
600 and S2O.OO0,000. In 1865, Packer
founded, at South Bethlehem, a scientific
school, called the Iehigh University, and
endowed it with tract of land, % acre:
in extent. and with $500, 600 in money
and it is believed lac intends giving an al
ditiOnal 100000, making $l,0O0,00O.
Asa Packer, through his entire career
has been widely known as an earnest
thOrough-gOing, CONSTANT Democrat, o
the old school. He has been member o
the Pennsylvania Legislature, his term il
that body ending in 1913, and Member
OF the House OF Representatives in Con
gress for the Thirteenth District from 1S5;
to 1851 AT the Democratic National Con
vention, held in 1868, in New York, h,
received the entire vote of Pennsylvani;
as candidate for the Presidency, for four
teen ballots, and was only withdrawn il
favor of Gen w. ) Hancock. The nomi
nation of Judge Packer as candidate TO
Governor of Pennsylvania is a becoming
compliment to life spent in honest in
dustry, and to- character of blameles
purity and unspotted integrity-PAilddel
E1lita Public Ltoyer.