Ada Bessie Swann
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Ada Bessie Swann | |
|---|---|
 Swann, from a 1928 publication | |
| Born | April 22, 1887 Tewksbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1963 (aged 76) Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Other names | Ada Bessie Swann Gore |
| Occupations | Home economist, cookbook author, magazine editor, broadcaster |
Ada Bessie Swann Gore (April 22, 1887 – October 15, 1963) was an American home economist, editor, broadcaster, and cookbook author. She was home services director of the Public Service Electrical & Gas Company, chair of the Electrical Women's Round Table, and a contributing editor of Woman's Home Companion magazine.
Swann was born in Tewksbury, Massachusetts,[1] the daughter of Alfred Swann and Martha S. Huckle Swann. Her parents were born in England.[2]
Career
Swann became home services director of the Public Service Electric & Gas Company of Newark in 1917.[3] She and her department were responsible for publicizing the safe uses of new gas and electric appliances in the home, including for laundry, lighting, cleaning, food storage, and cooking.[4][5] She hosted a radio cooking program,[6] lectured to women's clubs,[7] and published a cookbook as part of this work.[8] She promoted modern appliances as more reliable and more efficient than previous methods, and women as responsible managers of the home, saying "There isn't so much grace of Providence about a successful home. Somebody is pretty sure to be making it so."[9]
In 1923 Swann was a founding member and chair of the Electrical Women's Round Table.[10][11] She was elected president of the New Jersey Home Economics Association in 1928.[12] In 1930, she was chair of the Home Services Subcommittee of the National Electric Light Association,[13] and spoke at the first National Home Service Conference in Chicago.[14] In the 1930s she was home service director of Woman's Home Companion.[7][15]