In June of 1869, Edwin suffered a stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed for the rest of his life. The mansion was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Crocker became the contractor in charge of construction, hiring men and equipment, setting up campsites, and acting as paymaster and accountant. Robber Barons: Charles Crocker - Railroad: Charles Crocker (1822 – 1888) was a railroad industrialist who founded the Central Pacific Railroad and a one time president of Wells Fargo. Crocker was seriously injured in a New York City carriage accident in 1886,[23] never fully recovered, and died two years later on August 14, 1888. He had more than 40 miles (65 km) of snow sheds built to cover the tracks in the Sierra Nevada mountains, to prevent the tracks from getting covered with snow in the winter. Alexander was a lawyer and director for numerous companies including The Equitable Life Insurance Company, Middletown & Unionville Railroad, The Hocking Valley Railroad and several banks. In 1861, after hearing an intriguing presentation by Theodore Judah, he was one of the four principal investors, along with Mark Hopkins, Collis Huntington and Leland Stanford (also known as The Big Four), who formed the Central Pacific Railroad, which constructed the western portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America. One of the country's first rail magnates, Crocker also came from humble backgrounds, having grown up on a farm in Indiana. He was responsible for importing Chinese labourers (the “coolie system”). Engineering, the application of science to the optimum conversion of the resources of nature to the uses of humankind. On September 5, 1876 at the Lang Southern Pacific Station, a California Historic Landmark, Crocker hammered a golden spike into a railroad tie, the ceremonial spike was d to celebrate the completion of San Joaquin Valley rail line. [2], At the age of 23, in 1845, he founded a small, independent iron forge of his own. Together, they had six children, four of whom survived to adulthood:[15]. [25][26] Crocker's estate has been valued at between $300 million and $400 million at the time of his death in 1888. A former dry-goods merchant, the six-foot tall, three-hundred pound Crocker had made his fortune by overseeing and financing the Central Pacific Railroad. Charles Crocker (1822-1888): One of the “Big Four” founders of the Central Pacific Railroad. [14] Mary was the daughter of John Jay Deming and Emily (née Reed) Deming. Crocker soon became independent, working on several farms, a sawmill, and at an iron forge. Charles Crocker remained a successful businessman in Sacramento until the mid-1850s. After he sold down, he was replaced by John J. Valentine, Sr..[8] Crocker also acquired controlling interest for his son William in Woolworth National Bank, which was renamed Crocker-Anglo Bank. When his attempts to buy out Mr. Nicholas Yung from his property were rebuffed, he built a 40-foot spite fence around three sides of the neighbor's property. Oct. 6, 1861. Like the other Central Pacific Associates, he made his money as a merchant during the mining boom and was persuaded by Collis Huntington that the railroad would be the next big investment. Best known as the founder of the Central Pacific Railroad, Charles Crocker was born into a Troy, New York farm family in 1822. The field has been defined by the Engineers Council for Professional Development, in the United States, as the creative application of “scientific principles to design or develop…. His position with the company was that of construction supervisor and president of Charles Crocker & Co., a Central Pacific subsidiary founded expressly for the purpose of building the railroad. [10][11], Crocker built a mansion on Nob Hill. The Charles F. Crocker was built in 1890 in Alameda, California by C.G. Charles Crocker, (born Sept. 16, 1822, Troy, N.Y., U.S.—died Aug. 14, 1888, Monterey, Calif.), American businessman and banker, chief contractor in the building of the Central Pacific (later the Southern Pacific) Railroad. Crocker soon became independent, working on several farms, a sawmill, and at an iron forge. Charles Henry Crocker was born August 29, 1865, in Sacramento, the son of H. S. (Henry Smith) Crocker and nephew of Charles Crocker (of the group railroad barons that built the Southern and Central Pacific Railroads, as well as the Crocker National Bank). Spite fences were thereafter made illegal in San Francisco. "People & Events: Edwin Bryant Crocker (1818-1875)", "CHL # 590 Lang Southern Pacific Station Los Angeles", "Wells Fargo to acquire Crocker National Corp", "The Man Who Built a 40-Foot Spite Fence Around His Neighbor's Home", "C. F. Crocker Dead. Crocker was briefly the controlling shareholder of Wells Fargo in 1869 and served as president. It built the westernmost portion of the second transcontinental railroad. Mr. Crocker is a sole practitioner with more than four decades of experience. Though the disaster rendered the infamous dispute and its resolution moot, Crocker's family donated the entire block of land to charity, in support of the Episcopal Diocese of California. [29], Through his son William, he was the grandfather of Charles Crocker, William Willard Crocker, Helen Crocker (Russell) and Ethel Mary Crocker (de Limur). They joined the nineteenth-century migration west and moved when he was 14 to Indiana, where they had a farm. Crocker abandoned his attempt at prospecting in 1852 and opened a store in Sacramento, becoming extremely wealthy by 1854. The line that he started building on Feb. 22, 1863, met the Union Pacific line, running from the east, at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, 1869. Pilot Man' is now blamed for his death. Updates? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. She measured 762 tons gross, 204 feet in length, and 40 feet in breadth. Charles Crocker (September 16, 1822 – August 14, 1888) was an American railroad executive who was one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad, which constructed the westernmost portion of the first transcontinental railroad, and took control with partners of the Southern Pacific Railroad. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In 1861 Crocker joined fellow merchants Collis P. Huntington, Leland Stanford, and Mark Hopkins (known collectively as the “Big Four”) in a new railway company, the Central Pacific, which was appointed to build the western portion of the first American transcontinental railroad. Isaac was born in 1781, in Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States of America. Finally, he and his brothers Clark and Henry migrated overland to California (1850) after gold was discovered there. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Legal challenges to the fence were unavailing. The deceased, who was a self-educated man, was born of poor parents at Chichester, on the 22nd of June, 1797. In 1963, Crocker-Anglo Bank merged with Los Angeles' Citizens National Bank, to become Crocker-Citizens Bank[9] and later, Crocker Bank. Soon after moving in, Hutchinson sold the house to Millionaire Charles B. Alexander, who bought it as a present for his wife Harriet Crocker. Vice President of the Southern Pacific Railway Expires in San Mateo, California", "Geo. Call His Brother Home - William H. Crocker Hastens from Europe -- $6,000,000 Inheritance Won By Five Years' Fight Against Drink", "MISS ALEXANDER TO WED S. WHITEHOUSE; Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Alexander Engaged to Diplomatist. Charles E. Crocker, 89, a longtime Jacksonville resident, died Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. Charles Crocker was born in 1822 in Troy, N.Y., quit school at the age of 12, then made his way to Indiana where he worked in a sawmill and later built a smelter business. Charles Crocker (1822–1885) came to California by wagon on the overland route. Congressman Francis Burton Harrison; Charles Templeton Crocker (1884–1948); and Jennie Adeline Crocker (1887–1974). [28] Their son was Charles Sheldon Whitehouse (1921–2001), the United States Ambassador to Laos and Thailand,[29] and their grandson, Crocker's great-great-grandson, is U.S. At the age of 23, in 1845, he founded a small, independent iron forge of his own. White as a 4-masted barkentine. When he was fourteen, his family moved West to Iowa, where young Crocker struck … Crocker Dying, a Victim of Cancer; Long a Sufferer from the Same Disease That Killed His Wife in 1904. Charles Crocker who was born on September 16 1822 in Troy, New York was a major contributor to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. The feud lasted many years, and the fence was only removed after the death of Mrs. Yung, and the sale of the property by Yung's heirs to Crocker's family. Through his son Charles, he was the grandfather of Mary Crocker (1881–1905), who married U.S. His fortune at his death was estimated at $40 million. After completing the Central Pacific from California to Utah in 1869, they started the Southern Pacific as a branch line into southern California. Charles Crocker (September 16, 1822 – August 14, 1888) was an American railroad executive who was one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad, which constructed the westernmost portion of the first transcontinental railroad, and took control with partners of the Southern Pacific Railroad. [6] He used money saved from his earnings to invest later in the new railroad business after moving to California, which had become a boom state since the Gold Rush. When Nicholas Yung wouldn't sell his land to railroad baron Charles Crocker, Crocker built a 40-foot fence around his house and blotted out the sun. Charles Crocker: Chief of construction of Central Pacific Railroad, Crocker was an iron forger in Indiana who also opened a store in California during the Gold Rush. Biden to replace federal fleet with American-made EVs Charles "Chas" Crocker, 1822 - 1888 Charles "Chas" Crocker was born on month day 1822, at birth place, New York, to Isaac Crocker and Eliza Crocker (born Wright). Charles Frederick Crocker was born in Sacramento, Calif., on Dec. 26, 1854, the eldest son of Charles Crocker (1822-1888), one of the founders of the Southern and Central Pacific Railroads. Corrections? Crocker was born in Troy, New York, the son of Eliza (née Wright) and Isaac Crocker, a modest family. It reached the Arizona border in 1877, and in 1883 it was joined to other railroads built… They joined the nineteenth-century migration west and moved to Indiana when he was 14, where they had a farm. Charles Crocker. Mary Ann Deming was born in 1827, the daughter of a saw-mill owner in Mishawaka, Marshall County, Indiana. In 1855 he was elected to the city council and, in 1860, to the state legislature, as a Republican. He built a showplace mansion in San Francisco (which burned down in 1906) and a second home in New York City. Education Bachelor of Science, Stanford University. [12] In 1910, in the same plot where the fence stood, the cornerstone was laid for Grace Cathedral.