Crocker, Charles, 1822-1888

One of "Big Four" who built Central Pacific Railroad. Crocker actually supervised construction of tracks. Later invested in large landholdings and developed Del Monte Hotel (1880).

Charles Crocker was a prominent store-owner in Sacramento when, in 1860, he joined Collis Huntington, Huntington's business partner Mark Hopkins, then-Governor Leland Stanford, and other smaller investors in financing Theodore Judah's Central Pacific Railroad plan. Crocker's role in the Central Pacific was to oversee the construction. Crocker solved the problem of manpower by hiring Chinese workers and succeeded in finishing track construction many years ahead of the federal deadline. During the time of these letters, Crocker was the second vice president of the Central Pacific and exploring his interests in banking, real estate, agricultural development, and mining.