Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Crocker, Ethel |
Notes |
Ethel Sperry of Stockton married William Henry Crocker, son of the Big Four Railroad Magnate, in 1886. She was the daughter of wealthy Simon Willard Sperry of The Sperry Flour Company. Austen Sperry and a partner founded the company in Stockton in 1852. Flour had been hard to come by in the early days and was often imported from places like Chile. When finally San Joaquin Valley wheat supplied the Sperry Flour mill the business became very successful. General Mills eventually purchased Sperry Four. Although Ethel's mother is given as Caroline Elizabeth Barker, the local rumor was that Ethel and her sister Elizabeth were half Indian. Since Sperry was wealthy, this was apparently overlooked. Marriage to a Crocker established Ethel's place in society regardless. She was involved in many philanthropical activities. Ethel's sister, Elizabeth, married Prince Andre Poniatowsky in a match, it is said that was engineered by Ethel. Poniatowsky, although French, was supposed to be descended from the last Polish monarch. He was charming and handsome, if impoverished. Backed financially by this brother-in-law Crocker, Poniatowsky was instrumental in bringing electrical power to the region, his company being the roots of PG&E. He also headed the group that built Tanforan Race Track in San Bruno, as Poniatowsky didn't think other local racetracks had the class of European tracks. Eventually the Prince and Crocker had a falling out, and the Poniatowskys moved to Europe. Harriett Carolan's relationship with Ethel Crocker seems to have been a love/hate one of jealousy and competition, although they were in the same social set and entertained one another regularly. According to some historians, new century High Society had developed an aloof formalism and the beginning of customs like gated mansions. The three largest homes on the peninsula in the early 20th Century were W. H. Crocker's New Place, C. T. Crocker's Uplands, and Carolands Chateau. "New Place" was the name given to the Crocker country mansion that was completed in 1910. It was built on 500 acres in Hillsborough. It was the first lavish Burlingame home designed by Lewis P. Hobart. It had twelve bedrooms and ten baths upstairs. It took sixty servants to run the place, forty-five for the grounds alone. Lavish gardens designed by Bruce Potter are the envy of many neighbors. A dairy and kitchen garden provided all the milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables to run the house. In a show of patriotism in 1917, with the onset of the World War, Crocker fired all his foreign servants who refused to become American citizens. New Place was the scene of many social gatherings during the next two decades. In 1926, the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden stayed there for a week. Foreign diplomats, political leaders, presidents, actors and actresses were entertained there over the years. It was sold to the Burlingame Country Club in 1955 and serves now as a clubhouse. Ethel, who died in 1934, has been considered among the most powerful women in California due to her leading role as a philanthropist, raising thousands for worthy causes. She was especially noted for her activities for the war effort. Her obituary was published in Time Magazine. (Joan Levy/2009) |
Othernames |
Ethel Sperry |
Born |
1863 |
Deceased |
1934 |
Places of residence |
Stockton San Francisco Burlingame |
Father |
Simon Willard Sperry |
Mother |
Caroline Elizabeth Barker |
Spouse |
William Henry Crocker |
Children |
Ethel Mary Helen William W. Charles |
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Crocker Family Tree Banner, 2010 - Banner
Crocker Family Tree Banner, 2010. Wall hanging (6.5" x 30' x 0.25") of Crocker family tree made by donor Alan Henderson and his wife Sara. Wall hanging is made of brown felt with red and blue patches machine embroidered with white thread listing family names--one patch per name. Images of original Crocker couple at top. Each patch is decorated with a brass split-pin fastener on either side and is organized with accompanying lines of ribbon on...
Record Type: Object
