Lucius B. Packard (1836-1914) was an American wheelwright, cabinetmaker and automobile pioneer in the Veteran Car Era. He built his first Velocipede in Peabody, Massachusetts in 1860, followed by a "real"

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

in 1879 that was built in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, Massachusetts. In 1895, L.B. Packard built a prototype automobile that featured a 2- bhp (ca. 1,5 kW) gasoline engine by the ''American Gas Engine Company'' that gave its power via a

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

to the left rear wheel. Speed was controlled by two levers; one sat on the right of the steering lever. Moving it forward accelerated the vehicle, backwards slowed it. In a vertical position it brought the engine to idle. A second lever behind the seat did the same for reverse. Packard found a buyer for his car before he finished it. In 1896 he completed another four-wheeled vehicle, this time with an electric engine. It was also derived from a horse-drawn

carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

. His last car was built in 1898, an electric three-wheeler with a single front wheel, allowing the use of a long steering lever. It had a center- tube frame, and the bodywork was hinged with springs. L. B. Packard worked in his shop and sold bicycles at Liberty and Derby streets in Salem until it was destroyed by a fire on June, 25th 1914. Packard died on October 14, 1914. Photographs exist of his runabout and the Three-Wheeler. There is no known relationship with the

Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

family from Warren, Ohio, founders of the later Packard Motor Car Company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Packard, Lucius B. 1914 deaths 19th-century American people People from Peabody, Massachusetts American automotive pioneers Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Massachusetts Veteran vehicles 1890s cars Electric vehicle manufacturers Electric vehicles Electric vehicles introduced in the 19th century 1836 births