
Marjorie Husted
creative director | Betty Crocker
Marjorie Child Husted may not be a household name, but she was at the helm during the creation of the world's most famous make-believe homemaker ~ Betty Crocker. In her role as the company's creative director, she brought the brand's wildly popular fictional namesake to life.
While her contributions advanced the world of homemaking, the savvy businesswoman was no homemaker herself. Instead, Marjorie wrote and voiced a radio show, commissioned Betty's portrait and produced the distinct red-and-white covered picture cookbook that continues to guide many a cook today.
Betty Crocker | managed the iconic brand for 25 years
home economics | championed the one place women could be part of the business world
workplace equality | fought for women's recognition for decades
aligning with stars | Hollywood greats showed off their kitchens + shared recipes for the first time
1929 | named director of the Betty Crocker Homemaking Service, after Washburn-Crosby became part of General Mills
1948 | first businesswoman named Woman of the Year by Women's National Press Club {award presented by President Harry Truman}
1950 | put out the Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book; formed consulting firm Marjorie Child Husted and Associates
from | to
selling animal incubators with her father at the state fair | becoming VP {on the eve of her retirement} at General Mills + owning her own consulting firm
born on
April 2, 1892
born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
birth name
Marjorie Child
citizen of
The United States of America
daughter of
Alice Alberta Webber
~ homemaker ~
Samson Reed Child
~ lawyer ~
sister of
2 brothers + 1 sister
educated at
University of Minnesota
~ B.A. in German | 1913 ~
member of
Kappa Alpha Theta
studied
home economics + German
married to
K. Wallace Husted
advocate for
feminism
women's workplace equality
died on
December 23, 1986
~ at age 94 | in Minneapolis, Minnesota ~
image credit
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Newspaper Food Editors Conference | 1948
"What is good public relations? Everything you do to interpret your organization to its benefit. It means good conduct and getting credit for this good conduct."
Would You Like More Recognition? | october 1948
"We were groping to find our way in this new field of endeavor. Gradually, we took our first faltering steps. And now, [we are] past the creeping, stumbling stage."
Would You Like More Recognition? | october 1948
curated with care by Meghan Miller Brawley {july 2014}
Betty Radio
In 1924, Betty Crocker took to the airwaves for her first radio broadcast, penned by Marjorie and her Home Service Department. The show had 238 cooking school graduates in its first year, all women who passed an exam administered by the Washburn-Crosby Company {creator of Betty Crocker, made part of General Mills in 1928}. The program ran through 1953.
Betty Crocker
Big Red
The first Betty Crocker cookbook appeared in 1950 under Marjorie's watch. Today, it is in its 11th edition and still a go-to reference in American kitchens.
Betty Crocker