George Crum/Speck
Inventor of the potato chip

By Carsyn Roughton

George Crum/Speck was born as George Speck to Abraham and Catherine Speck. Most people say George was born in 1822 in NY.

GEORGE'S FAMILY

• Sister; Katherine A. Wieks
• Mother; Catherine Speck
• Father; Abraham Speck
• Sister; Mary Speck
• Son; Richard Speck
• Son; George B. Speck

In his youth he worked as a wild animal trapper & as a guide for the Adirondack Mountains.

Two of George's favorite things were hunting and fishing. He uncovered his culinary potential later in life.

Since George Crum was always teased because of his last name, he got so tired of it that he eventually changed it back to "Speck".

One summer, he got a job at Cary Moon's Lake House. When a customer ordered some "French Fried Potatoes" and accused them of being too soft and thick he sent them back to the kitchen...

He and his sister, Katherine A. Wieks, were very unhappy with this customer. So, they decided to-

GET REVENGE!!!
They decided to make a new batch. They fried the potatoes until they were crisp and added a ton of salt. But it backfired!

The customer loved the chips! Shortly after this, he opened up his own restaurant called Crum's place, featuring a basket of potato chips on every table.

ALSO CALLED

• Saratoga crisps
• Saratoga chips
• Potato crisps
• Potato chips

George Crum died in 1914 in NY.