William Doud Packard (November 3, 1861 – November 11, 1923) was an American

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

manufacturer who founded the Packard Motor Car Company and Packard Electric Company with his younger brother

James Ward Packard James Ward Packard (November 5, 1863 – March 20, 1928) was an American industrialist who, alongside his elder brother William, created the Packard Motor Car Company and Packard Electric Company. Early life James Ward Packard was born in War ...

.Adler, Dennis (2004). ''Packard''. MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company,

Life and career

Packard was born in

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...

, on November 3, 1861, to Warren and Mary Elizabeth Doud Packard. He was joined by his younger brother,

(1863-1928), in founding the Packard Electric Company in Warren in 1890, where they manufactured incandescent carbon arc lamps. He had three sisters, Carlotta Packard, Cornelia Olive Packard, and Alaska P. Davidson (1868-1934), who became the first female

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

agent. After disappointment with a Winton Company car he purchased, James formed a partnership with his brother and Winton investor George L. Weiss called Packard & Weiss. The first Packard automobile was released in 1899. In 1900, the company incorporated as the Ohio Automobile Company and was renamed the Packard Motor Car Company in 1902. The company relocated to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

in 1903, and merged with the Studebaker Corporation in 1954; the last Packard was made in 1958. Following Packard Motor Company's relocation to Detroit, the Packard brothers focused on making automotive electrical systems through the separate Packard Electric Company.

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

acquired Packard Electric in 1932, renaming it Delphi Packard Electric Systems in 1995. The company was spun off and became independent of GM in 1999. In 1915, W.D. Packard commissioned a summer home to be designed by a famous architectural firm in New York City, Warren and Wetmore. This home is located on the Chautauqua Institution. It still serves as a single-family residence. There is a duplicate in Warren, Ohio. Packard donated the land for Packard Park in Warren, Ohio, and the W.D. Packard Music Hall and Packard Band were funded by him.

References

External links

William Doud Packard
via Automotive Hall of Fame * 1861 births 1923 deaths People from Warren, Ohio Packard people American founders of automobile manufacturers American automotive pioneers Businesspeople from Ohio 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1860s-stub