David Packard

Member

Birthday September 7, 1912

Birth Sign Virgo

Birthplace Pueblo, Colorado, U.S.

DEATH DATE 1996, Stanford, California, U.S. (84 years old)

Nationality United States

#34877 Most Popular

1878

§ 214.5 states that "employment of DoD military resources for assistance to civil authorities in controlling civil disturbances will normally be predicated upon the issuance of a Presidential Executive order or Presidential directive authorizing", with exceptions "limited to: According to Lindorff, these exceptions reinstate the possibility of martial law in the U.S., prohibited since 1878.

1912

David Packard (September 7, 1912 – March 26, 1996) was an American electrical engineer and co-founder, with Bill Hewlett, of Hewlett-Packard (1939), serving as president (1947–64), CEO (1964–68), and chairman of the board (1964–68, 1972–93) of HP.

1934

Packard earned his B.A. from Stanford University in 1934, where he earned letters in football and basketball and attained membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society and was a Brother of the Alpha Delta Phi Literary Fraternity.

Stanford is where he met two people who were important to his life, Lucile Salter and Bill Hewlett.

Packard briefly attended the University of Colorado at Boulder before taking a position with the General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York.

1938

In 1938, he returned to Stanford, where he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering later that year.

In the same year, he married Lucile Salter, with whom he had four children: David, Nancy, Susan, and Julie.

1939

In 1939, Packard and Hewlett established Hewlett-Packard (HP) in Packard's garage with an initial capital investment of $538.

Packard mentions in his book The HP Way that the name Hewlett-Packard was determined by the flip of a coin: HP, rather than PH.

Their first product was an audio frequency oscillator, 8 of which were sold to Walt Disney Studios for testing sound equipment used to produce Fantasia.

The company grew into the world's largest producer of electronic testing and measurement devices.

It also became a major producer of calculators, computers, and laser and ink jet printers.

1947

HP incorporated in 1947, with Packard becoming its first president, serving in that role until 1964.

1968

He was then elected chief executive officer and chairman of the board, holding those positions through 1968.

1969

He served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1971 during the Nixon administration.

Packard left HP in 1969 to serve in the Nixon administration until 1971, at which time he returned to HP and was re-elected chairman of the board, serving from 1972 to 1993.

Upon entering office in 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed Packard United States Deputy Secretary of Defense under Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird.

1970

In 1970, Packard issued a memorandum that contained a number of major reforms designed to address "the real mess we have on our hands."

A key reform was elimination of Robert MacNamara's Total Package Procurement except in rare situations.

Near the end of his time at DoD, Packard wrote the "Packard Memo" or "Employment of Military Resources in the Event of Civil Disturbances".

In the 1970s and 1980s Packard was a prominent advisor to the White House on defense procurement and management.

1971

Packard resigned in December 1971 and returned to Hewlett-Packard in 1972 as chairman of the board.

While serving in the Department of Defense (DoD), he brought concepts of resource management used in business to the military, as well as establishing the Defense Systems Management College.

1972

Enacted in February 1972, the act describes exceptions to the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which limited the powers of the federal government to use the U.S. military for law enforcement, except where expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress — noting that the Constitution provides an exception when needed "to prevent loss of life or wanton destruction of property and to restore governmental functioning and public order when sudden and unexpected civil disturbances, disasters, or calamities seriously endanger life and property and disrupt normal governmental functions to such an extent that duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situations" and "to protect Federal property and Federal governmental functions when the need for protection exists and duly constituted local authorities are unable or decline to provide adequate protection".

1973

He served as chairman of The Business Council in 1973 and 1974.

1976

Packard served as president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) from 1976 to 1981 and chairman of its board of regents from 1973 to 1982.

He was a member of the Trilateral Commission.

1980

In 1980, he presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for HP's headquarters in Johannesburg.

When Nebraska became the first US state government to divest from South Africa, Packard remarked "I'd rather lose business in Nebraska than with South Africa."

From the early 1980s until his death in 1996, Packard dedicated much of his time and money to philanthropic projects.

1985

From 1985 to 1986, he served as chairman of The Packard Commission.

1986

At Packard's instruction, the domain name "HP.com" was registered on March 3, 1986, and as such was one of the earliest to be registered.

1987

Lucile Packard died in 1987 (age 72).

1988

Packard was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988 and is noted for many technological innovations and philanthropic endeavors.

Packard was born in Pueblo, Colorado, the son of Ella (Graber) and Sperry Sidney Packard, an attorney.

He attended Centennial High School, where early on he showed an interest in science, engineering, sports, and leadership.

1991

In 1991, Packard oversaw a major reorganization at HP.

1993

He retired from HP in 1993.

1996

At the time of his death in 1996, Packard's stake in the company was worth more than $1 billion.

Packard was criticized for expanding into South Africa, where HP equipment was used to implement apartheid.