William H. Packwood
Encyclopedia
William Henderson Packwood (1832 – 1917), was an American
politician who served at the Oregon Constitutional Convention
in 1857. A United States Army
veteran from the state of Illinois
, he was also a school superintendent and acquaintance of President Abraham Lincoln
. He was an early resident of Baker City
in Eastern Oregon
.
, to Larkin Canada Packwood and Elizabeth Cathcart on October 23, 1832. Packwood received two years of formal education and later moved to Springfield, Illinois
where he knew future United States President Abraham Lincoln. In 1848 he enlisted in the U.S. Army with Company B of the U.S. Mounted Rifles. The following year Packwood and the company were sent to the newly created Oregon Territory
and stationed at Fort Vancouver
.
when gold was discovered there, returning to Oregon in 1851 where he was transferred to Port Orford, Oregon
to fight Native American uprisings. In 1853 he was discharged from the Army and became a gold miner for several years. In 1855, Packwood served as captain of the Coquille Guards during the Rogue River Wars
against Native Americans in Southern Oregon
. In 1857, he represented Curry County
in southwestern Oregon at the Oregon Constitutional Convention
that met in Salem
during August and September, and framed a constitution in anticipation of Oregon becoming a state. He was the youngest of the delegates at the convention.
Packwood then moved east of the Cascade Mountains to Eastern Oregon
where he was involved with establishing the town of Auburn
in 1862. Auburn was a gold-mining boomtown
that was briefly the county seat of Baker County
, and Packwood helped plat
the town. There he served as the first school superintendent of Baker County in 1862. During the 1864 presidential election he campaigned for Lincoln in that county. Soon after, he was responsible for another Baker County town receiving the name of Sparta
. In that town he and his family built and operated a boarding house until 1867.
. William Henderson Packwood died on September 21, 1917 in Baker City with interment at Mount Hope Cemetery. He was the last living member of the constitutional convention at his death.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician who served at the Oregon Constitutional Convention
Oregon Constitutional Convention
The Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857 drafted the Oregon Constitution in preparation for the Oregon Territory to become a U.S. state. Held from mid-August through September, 60 men met in Salem, Oregon, and created the foundation for Oregon's law. The proposal passed with a vote of 35 for...
in 1857. A United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
veteran from the state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, he was also a school superintendent and acquaintance of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. He was an early resident of Baker City
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
.
Early life
William Packwood was born near the community of Mount Vernon, IllinoisMount Vernon, Illinois
Mount Vernon is a city located near the center of Jefferson County, Illinois, in the United States. In the 2010 census, the city's reported population was 15,277 people....
, to Larkin Canada Packwood and Elizabeth Cathcart on October 23, 1832. Packwood received two years of formal education and later moved to Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
where he knew future United States President Abraham Lincoln. In 1848 he enlisted in the U.S. Army with Company B of the U.S. Mounted Rifles. The following year Packwood and the company were sent to the newly created Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
and stationed at Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
.
Oregon
Packwood went to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when gold was discovered there, returning to Oregon in 1851 where he was transferred to Port Orford, Oregon
Port Orford, Oregon
Port Orford is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is on the southern Oregon Coast, at the northern end of what coastal Oregonians call the Banana Belt, because the weather from Port Orford south is noticeably warmer than the weather north of nearby Cape Blanco...
to fight Native American uprisings. In 1853 he was discharged from the Army and became a gold miner for several years. In 1855, Packwood served as captain of the Coquille Guards during the Rogue River Wars
Rogue River Wars
The Rogue River Wars was an armed conflict between the US Army, local militias and volunteers, and the Native American tribes commonly grouped under the designation of Rogue River Indians, in the Rogue River Valley area of what today is southern Oregon in 1855–56...
against Native Americans in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
. In 1857, he represented Curry County
Curry County, Oregon
Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2010, its population was 22,364. The county is named for George Law Curry, a governor of the Oregon Territory. The seat of the county is Gold Beach.-Economy:...
in southwestern Oregon at the Oregon Constitutional Convention
Oregon Constitutional Convention
The Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857 drafted the Oregon Constitution in preparation for the Oregon Territory to become a U.S. state. Held from mid-August through September, 60 men met in Salem, Oregon, and created the foundation for Oregon's law. The proposal passed with a vote of 35 for...
that met in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
during August and September, and framed a constitution in anticipation of Oregon becoming a state. He was the youngest of the delegates at the convention.
Packwood then moved east of the Cascade Mountains to Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
where he was involved with establishing the town of Auburn
Auburn, Oregon
Auburn was an unincorporated community in rural Baker County, Oregon, United States, now considered a ghost town. Auburn lies off Oregon Route 7 southwest of Baker City and east of McEwen on the edge of the Blue Mountains....
in 1862. Auburn was a gold-mining boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
that was briefly the county seat of Baker County
Baker County, Oregon
Baker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. It is named for Edward Dickinson Baker, a senator from Oregon who was killed at Ball's Bluff, a battle of the Civil War in Virginia in 1861. It was split from the eastern part...
, and Packwood helped plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
the town. There he served as the first school superintendent of Baker County in 1862. During the 1864 presidential election he campaigned for Lincoln in that county. Soon after, he was responsible for another Baker County town receiving the name of Sparta
Sparta, Oregon
Sparta is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named for Sparta, Illinois by William H. Packwood, a prominent Oregon pioneer who visited the gold diggings at the Powder River there in 1871....
. In that town he and his family built and operated a boarding house until 1867.
Later life and family
In later years Packwood mined, was an assistant postmaster, clerk for Baker City, and a police judge before retiring in 1910. In 1862 Packwood married Johanna A. O'Brien, with whom he would father five children. He is the great-grandfather of former United States Senator Robert PackwoodBob Packwood
Robert William "Bob" Packwood is a U.S. politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.-Early life and career:Packwood was born in...
. William Henderson Packwood died on September 21, 1917 in Baker City with interment at Mount Hope Cemetery. He was the last living member of the constitutional convention at his death.