In 1945, Fortune magazine declared Eleanor Roosevelt to be the most popular American woman. Firmly seated in the second was Betty Crocker. That’s pretty impressive for someone that never existed! Crocker was a creation of marketer Samuel Gale who worked for the Washburn Crosby Company. The rest is history and you can learn more by reading Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743265017/002-2244427-8566416)