Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/61

 CROCKER

CROCKER

CROCKER, Charles, financier, was born in Troy, N.Y., Sept. 16, 1822. He was a newsboy when twelve yeari: old and in 1836 removed with the famih^ to Indiana. In 1839 his father sent him from home to make his own living. He en- gaged as an apprentice in a forge in 1840; dis- ■covered a bed of iron ore in Marshall county in 1845 ; and with his employer established a forge there. In 1849 with his two younger brothers he ■crossed the plains to California and engaged in placer-mining. This he gave up and opened a store, selling miners" supplies. In 18.j2 he had •capital sufficient to open a store in Sacramento. In 1853 he returned to Indiana and was married. In 1854 he was counted one of the rich men of Sacramento. He was elected to the common council in 1855 and to the state legislature as a Eepublican in 1860. With C. P. Huntington, Leland Stanford and Mark Hopkins, he furnished the money to make the first survey of a railway route across the Sierra Nevada mountains at a time when no bank in the United States would advance money for so apparently chimerical a schem3. When the Union Pacific bill passed congi-ess these four men built the Central Pacific division and Mr. Crocker became superintendent of the Central Pacific road in 1862, president of the Southern Pacific and second vice-president -of the Central Pacific in 1871. He also superin- tended the construction of the Arizona, New Mexico and Texas division. In 1884 he was elected second vice-president of the Southern Pacific system, embracing 8903 miles of railway and steamship lines. Independent of these vast railroad interests he acquired large banking and industrial properties throughout the Pacific slope and in 1885 removed to New York .city. In 1886 an accident greatly impaired his health, and he died in Monterey, Cal., Aug. 14, 1888.

CROCKER, Charles Frederick-, capitalist, was born at Sacramento, Cal., Deo. 26, 1854; son

of Charles and (Eaton) Crocker. His

father was the pioneer financier and railroad builder. The son was educated in the public schools of Sacramento, at the University Mound college; at the California military academy ; in Europe in 1873 and 1875, and at the Polytechnic institute of Brooklyn, N. Y. In 1875 he returned to California with failing eyesight and engaged in the railroad business with the Southern Pacific railroad, of which his father was an officer. He began as clerk with the division superintendent and was successively promoted to the position of clerk in the general freight office, to the desk of "loss and damage," to the office of claim ad- juster, and then as successor to Gen. David E. Colton as purchasing and financial agent of the company. The office of third vice-president was created for him and lie became resident man-

aging director and sole representative of the real ownership of the road, owing to the pro- tracted absence of the other owners in the east and Europe. In 1888 he was made second vice- president and on the death of his father, Aug. 14, 1888, lie came into the financial management of an estate of $34,000,000. In 1890 he was elected first vice-president of the road with administra- tive responsibility involving $200,000,000 capital. He died at San Mateo, Cal., July 17, 1897.

CROCKER, Francis Bacon, electrical engi- neer, was born in New Y'ork city, July 4, 1861 ; son of Henry H. and Mary (Eldridge) Crocker ; grandson of David Crocker of Barnstable, Mass. ; and a descendant of Deacon AVilliam Crocker, who settled in Barnstable, Mass., in 1638. He was graduated at Columbia with the degree of M.E. in 1882 In 1883, with Charles G. Curtis, he formed the firm of Curtis & Crocker, patent attorneys and patent experts. He devised and developed inventions in telegraphy, telephony, electro-chemistry, electric lighting and the use of electricity for power purposes. In 1886 he e.stablished the " C. and C." electric motor com- pany, a pioneer electrical manufacturing enter- prise. In 1888 he formed the Crocker-Wheeler electric company, which grew to be one of the important electrical corporations of the United States. He was appointed instructor in electrical engineering at Columbia university in 1889 ; was promoted adjunct-professor in 1892 ; and professor in 1893. He was permanent secretary of the In- ternational electrical congress of 1893 at the Chicago exposition and had charge of the publi- cation of the proceedings of the congress. He was elected a life member of the American in- stitute of electrical engineers, one of its vice- presidents and managers for two terms, and its president in 1898. He published Electric Lighting (1896) ; The Practical Management of Dynamos and Motors (3 editions) written in conjimction with Dr. S. S. Wheeler (1890).

CROCKER, Frederick W., naval officer, was born in Massachusetts about 1846. He was gradu- ated at the U.S. naval academy in 1866; was assigned to the North Atlantic station in 1867, and «-as promoted ensign in 1868. He was then assigned to ordnance duty in Boston, and was promoted master March 26, 1869, and lieu- tenant March 21, 1870. He was on special duty in New Y'ork in 1870, served on board the Shenan- doah, of the European fleet, 1870-72, and on board the Brooklyn, European fleet, in 1873. He did torpedo duty in 1874, served on board the Eich- mond of the Pacific squadron, 1875-76; on the storeship Omcard, 1877; on the receiving ship Wabash, 1878-82; on board the Iroquois, at the Pacific station. 1882-85;. and on the receiving ship Xew Hampshire, 1885-86. He was promoted