Marjorie Husted

Marjorie Husted (1892–1986) was an American home economist and businesswoman. She is best known for her work with the Washburn Crosby Company and General Mills, where she developed the persona of Betty Crocker.

Early Life and Education

Marjorie Husted was born in 1892 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she studied home economics. After graduation, she began working for the Washburn Crosby Company, a flour milling company that would later become General Mills.

Career

At Washburn Crosby, Husted was responsible for answering consumer inquiries. In 1921, she and her team created the persona of Betty Crocker to personalize responses to consumer letters. The name "Betty" was chosen for its wholesomeness, and "Crocker" was the last name of a retired company director.

Husted was instrumental in developing the Betty Crocker brand. She wrote scripts for the Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air, the first radio cooking show, and helped create the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Husted also played a key role in the development of Bisquick, a pre-mixed baking product.

In 1946, Husted was appointed director of the newly created Home Service Department at General Mills. She retired in 1951 but continued to consult for the company until 1964.

Legacy

Marjorie Husted's work has had a lasting impact on American food culture. The Betty Crocker brand remains a household name, and the Betty Crocker Cookbook is one of the best-selling cookbooks in the United States. Husted was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.