Jasper Packard (February 1, 1832 – December 13, 1899) was an American attorney,

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran, and politician who, from 1869 to 1875, served three terms as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

for Indiana's at-large congressional district and

Indiana's 11th congressional district Indiana's 11th congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Indiana. In its final configuration, it covered most of the southern portion of Indianapolis. It was eliminated as a result of t ...

Early life and education

Born in

Austintown, Ohio Austintown is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place within Austintown Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 29,594 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Loc ...

, Packard moved with his parents to

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

in 1835. He attended local public schools and graduated from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1855.

Career

Packard then taught school and he settled in

La Porte, Indiana La Porte () is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana metropolitan stat ...

. He studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1861.

Civil War

During the

, he enlisted in the Union Army as a private in the Forty-eighth Regiment. He was promoted to first lieutenant on January 1, 1862. He served as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

September 12, 1862. He also served as lieutenant colonel of the 128th Indiana Infantry and was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

June 26, 1865.

Early public office

He served as the Auditor of La Porte County from November 15, 1866, to March 1, 1869,

Congress

Packard was elected as a Republican to the Forty-first, Forty-second, and Forty-third Congresses (March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1875). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State (Forty-third Congress), Committee on Private Land Claims (Forty-third Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874.

Later career

He engaged in newspaper pursuits. He was later appointed commandant of the State soldiers' home at

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Lafayette ...

, on July 1, 1899.

Death

Packard died in Lafayette on December 13, 1899, and was interred in the Soldiers' Home Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2009-5-12 {{DEFAULTSORT:Packard, Jasper 1832 births 1899 deaths University of Michigan alumni People of Indiana in the American Civil War People from Austintown, Ohio Union army colonels Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives