George Packard was born in 1868 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was educated in the
English and Classical School in Providence and then in Brown University, graduating in 1889 with
Phi Beta Kappa honors. He graduated from Northwestern Law School in 1891 and won the
oration prize. He then joined the law firm of Peckham and Brown, taking a brief leave to be
assistant attorney for the World's Columbian Exposition, setting up concession contracts.
Mr. Packard's most important case, People vs Revell, involved the ownership
of accreted land along the Lake Michigan shore between Diversey and Belmont Avenues in
Chicago. He believed, and persuaded the Ilinois Supreme Court, that the Lake could be used only
for public good; and that, when land replaced water by accretion, the riparian owners (who
speculated on a different viewpoint) would have to get State approval to sell that land for
personal profit. The shoreline under discussion then became part of Lincoln Park. Similar legal
precedent was important in the development of Streeterville and Grant Park.
He was a member of The Chicago Literary Club for 55 years, from 1894 to his death in
1949. In that period he delivered 30 presentations. Most of his papers dealt with biography, law
and drama.
Return to list of notable members