Asa Packer (December 29, 1805May 17, 1879) was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was a conservative and religious man who reflected the image of the typical Connecticut Yankee. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1853 to 1857.

Overview

Asa Packer (December 29, 1805May 17, 1879) was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was a conservative and religious man who reflected the image of the typical Connecticut Yankee. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1853 to 1857. Early life Packer was born in Mystic, Connecticut in 1805 and moved to Pennsylvania, where he became a carpenter's apprentice to his cousin Edward Packer in Brooklyn Township, Pennsylvania. He also worked seasonally as a carpenter in New York City and later in Springville Township, Pennsylvania, where he met his wife Sarah Minerva Blakslee. Career Packer and his wife settled on a farm. In the winter months, he went to Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania on the Susquehanna River and used his skill in carpentry to build and repair canal boats. This continued for 11 years. In 1833, Packer settled in Mauch Chunk in present-day Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, where he became the owner of a canal boat, which transported anthracite coal from Pennsylvania's Coal Region to Philadelphia. He then established A. & R. W. Packer, a firm that built canal boats and locks for the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company.

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