Alvan Macauley

James Alvan Macauley Sr. (1872–1952) was the president of Packard Motor Car Company] from 1916 until 1939.

Early life and education Alvan, as he preferred to be called, was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, to James A. Macauley and Rebecca Jane Mills. Macauley's father was a veteran of the American Civil War and was imprisoned for nine months in a Confederate war prison camp. The elder Macauley became the first state treasurer for West Virginia after the Civil War.

The Macauleys moved to Washington D.C. where Alvan was educated in the public school system.

The Great Depression devastated the luxury car market. Macauley responded by seeking a foothold in the mid-priced car market. He gained it in 1935 when he hired a team of engineers from Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporation, who helped Packard produce a car that sold for $980 – $650 less than any Packard automobile. The success of the lower-priced car ended the financial crisis at Packard. Packard continued to produce mid-priced cars in the years following World War II. Macauley resigned from Packard in 1948 after the company lost its place as the leading luxury-car maker in America to Cadillac. He was survived by his wife, three children, ten grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.