Charles Lathrop Pack

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Lathrop Pack
Portrait of Charles Lathrop Pack
Born(1857-05-07)May 7, 1857
DiedJune 14, 1937(1937-06-14) (aged 80)
New York, New York
NationalityAmerican
EducationBrooks Military Academy, Cleveland, OH
Occupation(s)Businessman, Philanthropist
SpouseAlice Gertrude Hatch
ChildrenGeorge Lathrop Pack
Randolph Greene Pack
Arthur Newton Pack
Beulah Frances Pack
Parent(s)George Willis Pack
Frances Farman

Charles Lathrop Pack (May 7, 1857 – June 14, 1937), a third-generation timberman, was "one of the five wealthiest men in America prior to World War I".[1]

His financial success was built on the success of his father, George Willis Pack, and grandfather, George Pack, Jr. in the forestry sector. Growing up on the shortes of Lake Huron in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Charles L. Pack lived in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1871 until the early years of the 20th century. With investments in timber in the American South, banking and real estate,[1] Pack became a multi-millionaire. During World War I, he was a principal organizer and was heavily involved in the war garden movement in the United States.

During the 1930's he was the president of The American Tree Association.[2][3]

Victory Gardens[edit]

In March 1917, Charles Lathrop Pack organized the US National War Garden Commission and launched the war garden campaign. After the war, he documented the victory garden movement in The War Garden Victorious.[4]

Philatelist[edit]

Pack was a world-famous philatelist, recognized for his award-winning collections of postage stamps.[5]

Collecting interests[edit]

Pack was noted for his collections of postage stamps of New South Wales, New Zealand, Canada, Cape of Good Hope, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. He was especially noted for his plating of early stamps of Brazil and the plating of the Uruguay 1856 'Diligencia' issue.

Philatelic literature[edit]

Pack's collection of postage stamps of Victoria led to his publication in 1923 of his famous book Victoria: the Half-length Portraits and the Twopence Queen Enthroned.

Honors and awards[edit]

Pack received worldwide recognition and numerous awards. He signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1921. He was the first American to receive the Crawford Medal in 1923 from the Royal Philatelic Society London. He was also the first American to receive the Lindenberg Medal in 1926 from the Berliner Philatelisten-Klub and the first person to receive the Award of Merit from the Collectors Club of New York. Pack is named in the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame for 1941.

Philanthropy[edit]

According to his biographer, Alexandra Eyle, Charles Lathrop Pack "spent $2.8 million on forestry conservation. This is a low figure, however..."[6]

Gravestone of Charles Lathrop Pack (GPS 43.550305, -73.808994)
Gravestone of Charles Lathrop Pack (GPS 43.550305, -73.808994)

End of life[edit]

Pack's remains were buried in 1937 "under a stand of white pine in the Charles Lathrop Pack Demonstration Forest in Warrensburg, New York... a site of his own choosing".[7]

Publications[edit]

  • Pack, Charles Lathrop (1919). The war garden victorious. Philadelphia, Press of J. B. Lippincott & Co. OCLC 425762. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  • Pack, Charles Lathrop. 1922. "The School Book of Forestry".
  • Pack, Charles Lathrop. 1923. Victoria: the Half-length Portraits and the Twopence Queen Enthroned
  • Pack, Charles Lathrop. 1926. The forestry primer, 1876 - 1926. The American Tree Association (January 1, 1926).

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Eyle, p. xv
  2. ^ Lehman, Eben. "A Look Back at George Washington's Birthday Trees". Forest history Society. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  3. ^ Pack, Charles. "Letter from the American Tree Association to Governor Langer regarding Reforestation, 1933". University of North Dakota scholarly commons. WILLIAM LANGER PAPERS. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  4. ^ Pack, Charles Lathrop. The War Garden Victorious. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1919. OCLC 425762
  5. ^ American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame 1941
  6. ^ Eyle, p. 233
  7. ^ Eyle, p. 269

Bibliography[edit]

  • Eyle, Alexandra. (1992). Charles Lathrop Pack: Timberman, Forest Conservationist, and Pioneer in Forest Education. Syracuse, NY: ESF College Foundation, Inc., and College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Distributed by Syracuse University Press. Available: Internet Archive

External links[edit]