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Kate Aitken (April 6, 1891 – December 11, 1971) was a
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
and
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
broadcaster in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Sometimes known by the nickname Mrs. A,"A Canadian Martha?" ''Toronto Globe & Mail'', January 3, 1996, p. A14 she was one of the most famous female broadcasters of her era.''One of Canada's best-known radio voices and a traveller who covered more than 2 million miles'', ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
''. December 13, 1971.
In addition, she was known as an expert on
cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...
; she gave many public talks and demonstrations, and her advice was relied upon by millions of homemakers.Susan Sampson. "A Finger in Every Pie." ''Toronto Star'', June 2, 2004, p. D4.


Early life

Kate Aitken, born Kate May Scott, was the fifth of seven children of Anne (née Kennedy) and Robert Scott; she was born in the village of
Beeton, Ontario Beeton is a small community located in southern Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada between Tottenham and Alliston; all three were amalgamated in 1991 into the single Town of New Tecumseth. Beeton was named for a local apiary. Formerly known as Cla ...
. Her parents owned a general store; years later, in 1956, she wrote a memoir about her childhood in Beeton, called ''Never a Day So Bright''. From the time she was little, she enjoyed cooking: she once joked that she was born "with a mixing spoon in my hand." At twelve-years old, Kate sold cosmetics door-to-door on a bicycle. She then became a teacher when she was fourteen; she later got enough credits for a teaching certificate and moved to Saskatchewan; she returned to Ontario several years later to help her mother run the general store. In October 1914, she married a local businessman named Henry Mundell Aitken. Kate and Henry subsequently had two children, Mary and Anne. At the time of their marriage, Henry was working as a clerk at a local bank; but several years later, he and Kate bought a poultry farm. Kate also began a canning business. Although she had little experience with farming, she had immersed herself in every book and government publication she could find, and soon acquired enough expertise to begin giving talks about such topics as raising fruits and vegetables for the Ontario Department of Agriculture.Gordon Sinclair. "Busiest Woman in the World." ''Maclean's Magazine'', April 15, 1950, p. 67. She and her husband also became known locally for the success of their poultry farm: by 1924, they had about 600 egg-laying hens.


Homemaking expert

As was the custom in the early 1900s, newspapers generally referred to her as "Mrs. Henry Aitken" or "Mrs. H.M. Aitken"; it was rare for her first name to be used. But she had begun to become well known for her homemaking and farm management skills, and
women's page The women's page (sometimes called home page or women's section) of a newspaper was a section devoted to covering news assumed to be of interest to women. Women's pages started out in the 19th century as society pages and eventually morphed into ...
reporters in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
were praising her as a "practical farm business woman." In 1923, she set up a "Country Kitchen" in the Women’s Building of the
Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...
(CNE) in Toronto, where she gave talks about canning and preserving, while selling some of her own home-made jams and baked goods. Until 1928, she worked for the Ontario Department of Agriculture speaking to rural women about farming. She subsequently taught cooking, at the
Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...
, where she was named the director of the Women's Activities in early 1939. She continued in that role for the next thirteen years. Beginning in the 1920s, she became known for her recipes, which she first published as pamphlets or booklets. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, her cooking talks were extremely popular: some of her classes at the CNE drew several thousand people, both men and women. Rural farm women found her especially helpful, since she understood their situation and was able to offer them helpful hints about managing their household more effectively. While serving as director of women's activities for the CNE, she became known for creating unique displays for the Exhibition, such as persuading the British government to allow one of Queen Elizabeth's famous dresses to be shown. She was also known for booking guest appearances by celebrities and dignitaries: among them was former American first lady
Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
, who gave a 1951 talk at the Exhibition that was also carried by the CBC. Mrs. Aitken finally resigned from her position in November 1952. Kate Aitken also served as supervisor of conservation for the Consumers Branch,
Wartime Prices and Trade Board The Wartime Prices and Trade Board is a former Canadian government agency, established on September 3, 1939, by the Mackenzie King government, under the authority of the ''War Measures Act'', in the Department of Labour responsible for price cont ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In August 1945, she took a six-week tour of the British Isles and the Continent at the invitation of the British Ministry of Food. The goal of the tour was to learn how Canadian women could help alleviate food shortages in the UK.


Career in broadcasting

Kate Aitken was offered a radio show in 1934, when a broadcaster at
CFRB CFRB (1010 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Bell Media and carries a News/Talk radio format. Its studios and offices are in the Entertainment District at 250 Richmond Street West. CFRB is a clea ...
in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
broke her leg and the station manager needed an emergency replacement. The show was syndicated to other radio stations, and was eventually picked up by the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
in 1948. By the 1940s, she had become one of CFRB's most popular broadcasters, and newspapers abandoned the custom of referring to her by as Mrs. Henry Aitken; they began using her radio name, Kate Aitken, all the time. Her radio programs were also profitable for CFRB: she was able to get her own sponsors, and she proved that a daytime show aimed mainly at home-makers could gain a wide following. While most of her fans were women, among the many people who wrote to get her advice, 18% of the letters came from men. Throughout much of her radio career, Aitken was heard three times during the day; in 1950, an estimated 32 per cent of Canadians listening to the radio were tuned into her show whenever she was on the air; estimated to be up to three million listeners. She was so popular that she received 260,000 letters, 150 speeches during the course of a year and 22 secretaries to manage the workload. She also became an expert at getting interviews for her broadcasts; sometimes, she spoke with interesting local people who were in the news, but she also traveled overseas to get interviews with famous news-makers, including one with
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
. In fact, when she first met him in 1927, she was said to have persuaded him to place an order for Canadian wheat. On radio, Kate Aitken primarily covered
homemaking Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a house o ...
subjects such as cooking and etiquette. In TV's early years, she was a panelist on talk shows, including a 1952 program called ''Fighting Words''. But sometimes, she did some documentary journalism, including a profile of Hungarian
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s in 1956. Also, in an era when research was difficult and time consuming, Aitken would find answers to difficult questions, explaining to one
Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
woman the procedures for moving herself and her assets to the USA to be with her American husband. When not covering homemaking, she also interviewed powerful world leaders: in addition to Mussolini, she spoke with
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
,
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
,
Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...
,
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and
Lester Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...
. By some estimates, she made more than 9,500 broadcasts during her radio career. She retired from broadcasting unexpectedly in 1957, even though her radio shows were still popular. But she did not slow her pace: she continued to work for
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
, and in 1958, she was named to the CBC's board of directors. One of her projects at the CBC was to conduct a survey of the audience's likes and dislikes. Beginning in the late 1950s, and continuing until 1962, she was a columnist for the ''
Globe & Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', offering her opinions about fashion, food, raising children, and current trends in society that affected the home. She also gave advice to homemakers about etiquette, such as a column on using the telephone: taking calls during dinner was always to be avoided, she wrote. Additionally, she continued to write cookbooks: by some accounts, she wrote or contributed to more than fifty of them, several of which became Canadian best-sellers.Ralph E. Braden. "Beeton Woman Cooked Up Quite a Name for Herself." ''Alliston (Ontario) Herald'', September 30, 2009, p. 1. Kate Aitken died in
Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
in 1971, at age 81, having lived for many years on property that she ran briefly as a spa, on a bend of Mississauga Road, south of
Streetsville Streetsville (pop. 47,327) is a neighbourhood located in the northwestern corner of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on the Credit River. Although Streetsville occupies the west and east banks of the river, the majority is located on th ...
. She is buried in Beeton United Church Cemetery.


Legacy

In June 1973, 1,000 people gathered in Beeton Park,
New Tecumseth New Tecumseth is a town in Simcoe County, in south-central Ontario, Canada. While it is not officially a part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is counted, in terms of the census, as being a part of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area. History ...
, Canada as the Beeton Women’s Institute placed a plaque in memory of Aitken. A number of contemporary historians, including culinary expert Elizabeth Driver, have compared her to
Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...
, for her popularity and the high esteem in which she was held by homemakers and people who loved to cook. One of Kate's cookbooks, ''Kate Aitken's Canadian cook book'', which was first issued in 1945, remains popular even now; it was reissued in 2004, and Elizabeth Driver wrote the introduction.


Books

*''Kate Aitken Ogilvie Cook Book'' (1950), Ogilvie Flour Mills Home Service Department *''Lovely You'' (1951), Collins White Circle *''Canadian Etiquette for Daily Living'' (1953), Tamblyn Edition *''Kate Aitken’s: It’s Fun Raising a Family'' (1955), Tamblyn Edition *''Never a Day So Bright'' (1956),
Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...
s *''Making your Living is Fun'' (1959), Longmans *''Kate Aitken's Cook Book: The All-Time Favourite Canadian Cook Book'' (1962), HarperCollins Publishers Canada, Limited


References


External links


CBC Digital Archives – Kate AitkenSimcoe County Archives Blog - Kate Aitken
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Kate 1891 births 1971 deaths Canadian television hosts Canadian columnists People from Simcoe County CBC Radio hosts Canadian women journalists Canadian women television personalities Canadian women columnists Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian women radio hosts Canadian women television hosts