Jennie Louise Crocker Fassett

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

Jennie Louise Crocker Fassett
Jennie Crocker, 1898
Born	Jennie Louise Crocker (1860-05-02)May 2, 1860 Sacramento, California
Died	November 17, 1939(1939-11-17) (aged 79) Katonah, New York
Resting place	Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, New York
Spouse	Jacob Sloat Fassett ​ ​ (m. 1879; died 1924)​

Biography

Born on May 2, 1860, in Sacramento, California, Fassett was the daughter of the California Supreme Court Justice Edwin B. Crocker and Margaret Rhodes Crocker. 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. They were frequent travelers and were among the first people from the west to enter the Royal Court of Korea, visiting there in 1912. She collected jade, ivory, sculpture, and ceramics from Korea.

Their children were Bryant, a physician; Newton; Truman; Jacob Sloat, Jr.; Jennie; and Margaret. 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.

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

Philanthropy

Her parents had founded the Crocker Art Museum and Fassett was a long time champion of the family's art gallery. 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. Fassett donated a $25,000 (equivalent to $443,605 in 2023) trust fund and her Asian art collection to the museum in 1928.

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.

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 1827–90 Henry S. Crocker 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 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] [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 1849–1927 Jennie Easton 1858–87 Charles Frederick Crocker 1854–97 Francis Crocker 1858–62 Ethel Sperry 1861–1934 William Henry Crocker 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 1887–1966 Charles Templeton Crocker 1884–1948 Janetta Alexander 1890–1973 Arnold Whitridge 1892–1989 Harry Crocker 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] Notes Sources "Crocker Family Tree". San Mateo County Historical Association.