Jennie Louise Crocker Fassett

Jennie Louise Crocker Fassett
Jennie Crocker, 1898
Born
Jennie Louise Crocker

(1860-05-02)May 2, 1860
Sacramento, California
DiedNovember 17, 1939(1939-11-17) (aged 79)
Katonah, New York
Resting placeWoodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, New York
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1879; died 1924)​

Jennie Louise Crocker Fassett (1860 – 1939) was an American heiress, known for her philanthropy to the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California.

Biography

Born on May 2, 1860, in Sacramento, California,[1] Fassett was the daughter of the California Supreme Court Justice Edwin B. Crocker and Margaret Rhodes Crocker.[2][3] Her younger sister was the notorious Bohemian Aimée Crocker. She married lawyer and politician Jacob Sloat Fassett in 1879 and the couple moved to his hometown of Elmira, New York.[2] They were frequent travelers and were among the first people from the west to enter the Royal Court of Korea, visiting there in 1912.[2] She collected jade, ivory, sculpture, and ceramics from Korea.[2]

Their children were Bryant, a physician; Newton; Truman; Jacob Sloat, Jr.; Jennie; and Margaret.[4][5] She and her husband had a Queen Anne style house, designed by Robert Bickford, built for the family. After her husband's death, she had the large house, called the Strathmont mansion, renovated into separate living spaces for herself and her secretary and his wife.[6]

She received an honorary degree from Elmira College. The Doctor of Humane Letters was awarded in 1933. She died on November 17, 1939[7] in Katonah, New York.[5] She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira.[8]

Philanthropy

Her parents had founded the Crocker Art Museum and Fassett was a long time champion of the family's art gallery.[2] In 1911, she contributed $10,000 so the city could purchase the Crocker house, which was then used for offices and to expand the gallery space.[2] Fassett donated a $25,000 (equivalent to $443,605 in 2023) trust fund and her Asian art collection to the museum in 1928.[2][3]

A leader in the Elmira community, she founded, led, and contributed to the Elmira Federation for Social Service, including the construction of its building. She frequently donated to causes domestically and internationally, including to Elmira College.[7]

Family tree

Crocker family tree 
Nancy Crocker
1792–1854		Isaac Crocker
1781–1856
Mary Norton
1821–47		Edwin B. Crocker
1818–75		Margaret Rhodes
1822–1901		Mary Ann Deming
1827–89		Charles Crocker
1822–88		Clarke Crocker[a]
1827–90		Henry S. Crocker[b][c]
1832–1904
Mary Norton Crocker
1846–1923		[two marriages]Edwin Clark Crocker
1856–56		Nellie Margaret Crocker
1856–79		Aimée Isabella Crocker
1864–1941		[five marriages]Henry J. Crocker[d][e]
1861–1912
Kate Eugenie Crocker
1854–74		James O.B. Gunn
1846–1923		Jennie Louise Crocker
1860–1939		Jacob Sloat Fassett
1853–1924
[multiple children][f][multiple children][multiple children]
Emily Elizabeth Crocker
1853–53		Emma Hanchett
1855–1904		George Crocker
1856–1909		Harriet Valentine Crocker
1859–1935		Charles Beatty Alexander[g]
1849–1927
Jennie Easton[h]
1858–87		Charles Frederick Crocker
1854–97		Francis Crocker
1858–62		Ethel Sperry
1861–1934		William Henry Crocker[9]
1861–1937
Mary Crocker
1881–1905		Francis Burton Harrison
1873–1957		Harriet Crocker Alexander
1888–1972		Winthrop W. Aldrich
1885–1974		[multiple children]
Helene Irwin[i]
1887–1966		Charles Templeton Crocker
1884–1948		Janetta Alexander
1890–1973		Arnold Whitridge
1892–1989		Harry Crocker[e]
1893–1958
Malcolm Whitman
1877–1932		Jennie Adeline Crocker
1887–1974		Robert Henderson
1877–1940		Mary Crocker Alexander
1895–1986		Sheldon Whitehouse
1883–1965
[multiple children][multiple children][one child][multiple children][multiple children][multiple children][j]
Notes
  1. ^ Married to Julia A Kimball (1830–1901)
  2. ^ Married to Clara Ellen Swinerton (1845–1910)
  3. ^ At least one son, Charles Henry (1865–1935)
  4. ^ Married to Mary Virginia Ives (1863–1929)
  5. ^ a b Multiple siblings (not shown)
  6. ^ Including actress Kate McComb (1871–1959), from Mary Crocker's first marriage to Charles L. Scudder.
  7. ^ Uncle of Eleanor Butler Roosevelt (1888–1960)
  8. ^ Niece of Darius Ogden Mills (1825–1910)
  9. ^ Daughter of William G. Irwin (1843–1914)
  10. ^ Including Ambassador Charles S. Whitehouse (1921–2001), father of US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (1955–); and Sylvia Whitehouse (1930–), wife of Ambassador Robert O. Blake (1921–2015) and mother of Ambassador Robert O. Blake Jr. (1957–).
Sources
  • "Crocker Family Tree". San Mateo County Historical Association.


References

  1. ^ "Jennie Crocker Fassett", Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Certificates: 119376-119749, Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Jennie Crocker Fassett, age 60, birth date 2 May 1860 at Sacramento, California. Residence Elmira, New York. Passport issued 14 Dec 1920, certificate 119737. Spouse Jacob Sloat Fassett
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "The Crockers - Jennie Louise Crocker Fassett". Crocker Art Museum. June 20, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "California Museum Given Art Treasures". The Los Angeles Times. April 19, 1928. p. 7. Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Dr. Bryant S. Fassett Dies Whole Community Mourns Loss". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. March 24, 1908. p. 12. Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Mrs. Fassett's Will Directs 2 Sons and 2 Daughters Share Her Estate Equally". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. November 29, 1939. p. 11. Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Martha Horton (November 16, 2008). "Double Home Stands Out in Near Westside Historic District". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. p. 34. Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Federation Board Appoints Committee for Memorial to Mrs. J. Sloan Fassett". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. December 6, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Funerals". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. November 21, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ https://www.geni.com/people/William-Henry-Crocker/6000000014385145399