George Willis Pack (June 6, 1831 – August 31, 1906) was an American philanthropist, lumberman, and railroad president.

He was also a leading citizen of Cleveland, Ohio, and a noted resident and benefactor of Asheville, North Carolina.

He donated five properties to the City of Asheville, including a school, a library, public parks, and land for the county's courthouse.

George Willis Pack was born on June 6, 1831, in Fenner Township, Madison County, New York.

[3][2][1] When Pack was seventeen, he went with his father to Sanilac County, Michigan, where they established a farm on government land.

[3] Pack began his timber career working in his father's sawmills where he gained knowledge of forestry and logging.

[3][2] In 1862, Pack was elected to represent Sand Beach on the Huron County Board of Supervisors.

[3] In 1893, Pack purchased the Montford residential development in Asheville, North Carolina, in a bankruptcy auction.

[11] Later, he joined a partnership that developed land at the foot of Sunset Mountain, near North Charlotte Street.

Because he disliked the "ragamuffins" in the city's square, Pack purchased a lot and hired the architect Willis Bros. to design a school for the Asheville Free Kindergarten Association in June 1892.

[6][1] He sent a gift of $500 to North Carolina's regiment in the Spanish–American War after learning that the soldiers had run out of money for necessities.

[4][3][2] Their children were son Charles Lathrop Pack (1857) and daughters Mary (1860), Millicent (1865, died as an infant), and Beulah (1869).

[3][28] In 1887, Pack purchased two adjacent houses on Euclid Avenue, known as "millionaires' row" in the Gilded Age.

[30][1][31][32][33] However, as the Swannanoa lacked indoor plumbing, Pack ordered a bathtub and had it installed in the hotel, creating Asheville's first bathroom with running water.

[30][31] Finding Asheville appealing, the Packs built a large home, Manyoaks, at 140 Merrimon Avenue in 1885 (now demolished).

[3][30] They used Manyoaks as their winter home for nearly twenty years, retaining a Cleveland, Ohio residence for the summer.

[5] Pack's health declined by 1900 and he moved to the seaside community of Southampton, Long Island, New York as his doctors recommended living at sea level for a heart condition.

[5][1] That same day, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners passed resolutions in Pack's memory and then adjourned out of respect.

[1] A memorial service was held in the Buncombe County courthouse on September 4 and the city's businesses closed for an hour so all residents could attend.

"[1] Pack Square now consists of 6 acres (2.4 ha) and is part of the Downtown Asheville Historic District.