Wicks, Catherine 'Kate' Speck
1814–1917 · Contribution: 1853
Cook
Separately credited by name in her own obituary as the actual originator of the potato chip, a claim distinct from her brother George Crum's more widely told version
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1814
- Active since
- 1853
- Category
- Agriculture & Food
- Best known for
- Rival potato-chip claimMoon's Lake HouseNamed in her own obituary
Impact on the world
Wicks offers a compelling and often-overlooked claim to inventing the potato chip, complicating a story usually told about her brother. Her obituary preserves a woman's authorship of an American staple.
Sources
- Saratoga County History Center
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Crum, George (George Speck)
1824-1914
Long credited as the inventor of the potato chip, popularized as the 'Saratoga Chip'
Smith, Lucille Bishop
1892-1985
Created the first commercially sold boxed hot roll mix, a foundational product in the convenience food industry
Carver, George Washington
1864-1943
Crop rotation methods; alternative uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans