Inventor. The son of a Native-American mother and African-American father, who was a jockey, he reportedly had a rebelious and feisty nature, which helped him survive in the face of prejudice against his multiracial heritage. As a young adult, he worked as a trapper and a mountain guide in the Adirondacks. Some sources claim that, because he hated the comic overtones of his last name, he had it legally changed to "Speck," although he used "Crum" for professional reasons (it purportely being the name used professionally by his father). By 1853, Crum was working as a chef at the Moon Lake Lodge, an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. One day, a disgruntled diner (some sources claim it was Cornelius Vanderbilt, although there appears to be no proof of this) sent back an order of french fries, complaining that they were too soft and thick. Intent to teach the patron a lesson, Crum sliced a potato as thin as possible so that it could not be eaten with a fork and fried it until it was hard and crunchy, topping it off with extra salt. However, instead of being dissatisfied, the patron loved the dish, and it became an instant hit! Unfortunately, although Crum never patented his new dish (and accounts differ as to whether it was he that truly invented the potato chip), the food, which he dubbed "Saratoga Chips," began appearing on the Moon Lake Lodge menu from that day forward as a specialty of the house. By 1860, having profited from the success of his new invention, Crum had saved up enough money to open his own establishment, "Crum's House," on Malta Avenue in Saratoga Lake, featuring potato chips in baskets on every table. The restaurant was successful for 30 years, serving several rich and famous guests of Saratoga County. Crum closed the establishment in 1890, and died in 1914 at the age of 86 (some sources claim 92).