Edwin B. Crocker | |
|---|---|
 Edwin B. Crocker, c. 1872 | |
| Associate Justice of theCalifornia Supreme Court | |
| In office May 21, 1863 – January 2, 1864 | |
| Appointed by | GovernorLeland Stanford |
| Preceded by | Stephen Johnson Field |
| Succeeded by | Elections under 1862 amendment to California constitution and 1863 enabling law |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edwin Bryant Crocker (1818-04-26)April 26, 1818 Jamesville, New York, US |
| Died | June 24, 1875(1875-06-24) (aged 57) Sacramento, California, US |
| Resting place | Sacramento Historic City Cemetery,Sacramento, California |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 7 |
| Occupation | Lawyer California Supreme Court Justice |
| Known for | Crocker Art Museum |
Edwin Bryant Crocker (26 April 1818 – 24 June 1875) was aCalifornia Supreme Court Justice and founder of theCrocker Art Museum inSacramento, California.
Crocker was born inJamesville, New York, to Isaac and Elizabeth Crocker. He earned a degree in civil engineering atRensselaer Institute inTroy, New York. He went on toread law inSouth Bend, Indiana.[1] While there, he started a practice that earned him a reputation as anabolitionist.[2][3][4] In June 1850, Crocker lost a civil case brought by a slave owner for helping four slaves escaping from Kentucky.[5] In July 1850, Crocker attended theLiberty Party convention inSyracuse, New York, where he retold the story of helping the slaves.[6] In June 1851, he spoke at the Christian Anti-Slavery State convention inIndianapolis, Indiana.[7][8] In August 1852, he was named a delegate from Indiana to theFree Soil Party convention.[9] In 1852, he and his second wife Margaret Ellen Rhodes Crocker moved to Sacramento, California.
When they arrived in Sacramento, Crocker resumed his legal career. He was also involved in politics. On March 8, 1856, he chaired the state's first meeting of theRepublican Party.[10][11] In 1863, GovernorLeland Stanford appointed Crocker as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court, which position he held from May 21, 1863, to January 2, 1864.[12] In 1863, elections were held for all seats on the Supreme Court due to an1862 amendment to California constitution and 1863 enabling law, and Crocker chose to step down rather than seek re-election.[12]
The next year, Crocker agreed to be legal counsel for theCentral Pacific Railroad, a company run by theBig Four, which included Edwin's younger brother,Charles Crocker.[13] Crocker was the Central Pacific's attorney during the building of theFirst transcontinental railroad, culminating in the ceremony for the driving of the golden spike atPromontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869.
The stress of all of his work took a toll on Crocker. He suffered from a stroke in June 1869. He retired from his other pursuits and took up less stressful hobbies. With a net worth of a million dollars from railroad investments, Crocker and his family traveled throughoutEurope and collected art.[14] His family renovated their home to include an art gallery. Their home and the art that they had acquired would eventually become theCrocker Art Museum.[15]
After his stroke, Crocker's health never fully recovered. On June 24, 1875, he died in Sacramento.[16][17] He is interred in theSacramento Historic City Cemetery in Sacramento, California.[18]
On September 3, 1845, Crocker married Mary Norton inMishawaka, Indiana. She died on April 12, 1847, in South Bend, Indiana. They had a daughter, also named Mary.On July 8, 1852, he remarried to Margaret Rhodes in New York in a ceremony performed byHenry Ward Beecher.[15][12] They had four daughters:Aimée Crocker,Jennie Louise Crocker Fassett, Nellie Margaret and Kate Eugenie Gunn; and two sons: Edwin Clark, who died as a baby, and Elwood Bender, a relative whom they adopted.
Charles Crocker, a large, stout florid man, is Vice President of the Central Pacific and worth $6,000,000. E. B. Crocker, ex-State Justice, brother to the above, is worth $1,000,000.
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Associate Justice of theCalifornia Supreme Court 1863–1864 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
