Packard, Oren Fred

Oren Fred Packard was born in San Francisco on November 19, 1867, to Cyrus C. and Sophia Addie Merriam Packard, who had sailed from Boston in 1859. Educated initially in San Francisco, he relocated to Fresno with his family in 1882, where his father and older brothers established the Valley Truck and Transfer Company at 1430 I Street. He eventually took over and managed his family’s transfer business for twenty years, while also managing a fifty-acre vineyard and hog ranch.

In 1903, Packard sold the transfer business and established the Merchants Night Patrol to serve the business section of Fresno, an enterprise he successfully operated for over fifteen years. He dedicated fourteen years to Company F of the California National Guards, serving seven years as a sergeant, and served as president of the Fresno Volunteer Firemen’s Association after many years with the old volunteer fire department. A Republican actively engaged in local politics, he built a large circle of friends while contributing to civic life and playing baseball when Fresno belonged to the State League.