Jennie E. Precker

Lawyer Jennie E. Precker (1892-1981) founded the Susan B. Anthony Building and Loan Association, the nation’s first women’s bank, in Newark.

Created by Precker in 1923 the association made it easier for women to develop, thrift, and own homes. It was the first bank in the world whose officers, directors, counsel, and staff were all women.

Additionally, Precker spent her professional career practicing law and served as a member of the federal, Essex County, and New Jersey bar associations. She was also a member of both the National Association of Women Lawyers and the Alumni Association of New York University. Precker consulted for the New Jersey Women’s Republican Club, was active for thirty years as counsel for the Salvation Army in Newark, and founded the Women’s Auxiliary of New Jersey.

The Salvation Army awarded Precker with the Crest Award for “dedicated service to mankind” for her efforts on behalf of British War Relief. In 1975, she received a bronze plaque for service and devotion to the legal profession from the New Jersey State Bar Association.

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References:

Burstyn, Joan N. 1990. “Jennie E. Precker”. Past and Promise, Lives of New Jersey Women. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54795075