Gertrude Crocker

Gertrude Crocker (January 7, 1884 – 1969) was an American suffragist. A member of the Silent Sentinels, she picketed Woodrow Wilson's White House in support of women's suffrage in the United States and suffered through assault by prison guards during the 1917 Night of Terror.

Early life and education

Crocker was born on January 7, 1884 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She grew up in Hinsdale, Illinois, where her father worked for the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. Crocker attended her mother's alma mater, Vassar College, and graduated in 1907. She was elected treasurer of the organization in 1916. She lobbied hard for passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was to guarantee women the right to vote. Crocker helped the effort to get early votes for the amendment as well as recruiting other women to the cause and organizing multiple mass mailings. Her efforts led her to be described as one of the "most zealous leaders in the campaign".

On January 10, 1917, Crocker joined the group of 12 women known as the Silent Sentinels who protested outside the White House, standing silently in support of a woman's right to vote. On October 22, Crocker was arrested and found guilty of "obstructing a sidewalk" and forced to spend 30 days in Occoquan Workhouse. Crocker decided to open a restaurant in order to be independent and her "own boss".

Crocker was president of the Soroptimist International of Arlington from 1946-1947.