De Saisset, Ernest, 1864-1899

Biography/History

The de Saisset Family Portrait

by Carol Pace Harney, Archive Volunteer, History San Jose Archives

Today the de Saisset name is associated with the art and history museum on the Santa Clara University campus. This museum is named in honor of Ernest de Saisset, an artist who was the elder son of Pedro and Maria de Saisset of San Jose. The de Saisset family was a prominent pioneer family in the San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley in the late 1800s. The de Saisset family consisted of Pedro, the father, who was born in Paris, France; Maria, the mother, who was a California native; two sons, Ernest (1864-1899), an artist and Peter (1870-?), a musician; and two daughters, Henriette (1859-1947), a teacher, and Isabel (1875-1950), who donated the family estate to establish the de Saisset Museum.

Pedro de Saisset, a San Jose pioneer and businessman, was also the Vice-Consul for the French government. In addition, he was known for starting the Brush Electric Company, which lighted the San Jose City Light Tower. Buying and managing property was important to him. He had a large ranch and owned many downtown San Jose commercial buildings which he leased to a variety of businesses.Pedro-son of Pierre Joseph de Saisset, a colonel of the French National Guard, was born in Paris on August 28, 1829 and died in San Jose on 3 - March 16, 1902 at the age of 72 years. In 1847 he graduated from the University of Paris with an A.B. degree and read Law for one year. His parents then sent him to the United States to escape a military uprising in Paris. Soon after he landed in New York, he set sail for California, arriving in San Francisco after a 135-day trip around South America. In 1882 de Saisset became the first President of the Brush Electric Company, a 70-square-foot brick building located on North Fourth Street in San Jose. This building housed machinery consisting of three steam engines, which produced 400 horsepower to light the San Jose City Electric Light Tower.

This family also owned a stock ranch of 3,313 acres in Alameda County. Several downtown San Jose commercial properties were still owned by the family in 1943. They included New Century Building, which housed the Wardrobe, A&D Emporium, and Moellering and Goodwin; the Carroll Building; the southwest corner of Post and Almaden, where the Quements had a business; and a South First Street building that included, among other businesses, the Austin Studio.

The family home was a three-story building located just north of the San Jose Civic Auditorium at 478 Guadalupe Street, now listed as 243 South Market Street. Court records indicate the de Saissets purchased the property from Juan Bernal on August 3, 1861. The 200-feet frontage lot cost $400. The completed house and lot were assessed on July 5, 1866 at $5,615. This family home was later owned by the Jesuit Novitiate in Los Gatos. Henriette de Saisset and her husband, Dr. E.A. Filippello, lived in the house until their deaths.

Both de Saisset sons, Ernest and Peter, attended Santa Clara College. Ernest received the Drawing Prize for Oil Painting in 1883, and Peter was awarded the Premium in Violin in 1888. Later Ernest moved to Paris to study art. After a few years, Peter also went to Paris to study violin at the Paris Conservatory. Pedro, the father, gave each son financial support and kept many letters written to him by each son in which they described their lives in Paris during the 1890s. In these letters, Ernest described his apartment on Rue Fontaine and how expensive room, board, and art supplies were, suggesting it cost much more to live in Paris than in San Jose.

When Peter joined Ernest in Paris in May 1893, he had a bad cold and had been suffering from seasickness on the voyage. Soon after his arrival, Peter learned that he was too old and not properly prepared to pass the Paris Conservatory audition. The brothers discovered that the conservatory allowed only two foreigners entrance each year. Not giving up, Peter found a well-qualified violin teacher who had studied at the Paris Conservatory. His teacher's family, who were all musicians, welcomed him into their home.

The following year, 1895, Ernest sailed home with his oil paintings, including a portrait of Peter. Ernest died four years later in San Jose and is buried in the family plot in Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. Peter told his father that in several years he would return to California, but there are no letters to indicated whether he returned or where he went. There are no local records about him*, and he is not buried with the de Saisset family. His violin music and his several piano compositions, dedicated to Pedro de Saisset, are catalogued and a part of the History San Jose Archives.

From the guide to the de Saisset Family papers, 1829-1976, 1829-1900, (Santa Clara University Archives)