Linda Deziah Jennings

Linda Deziah Jennings (1870-1932)[1] was an American women's suffrage activist and cookbook editor, based in Washington state.

[1] In the early 1900s, Jennings became involved in the Washington Equal Suffrage Association, which was led by its founder, Emma DeVoe.

The story, as the magazine editor explained, "vividly [exposed] the social conditions existing among many of the early pioneer settlements, when it was no unusual occurrence for white men to take native Indian women.

One of the earliest examples had been A Poetical Cookbook (1864) by Maria J. Moss, which helped raise funds for the medical costs of Union Army soldiers during the American Civil War.

In addition, the book contained political essays with titles such as "How Washington Women Lost the Ballot," written by Adella M. Parker, and "Progress of Woman Suffrage.

The thick pro-suffrage crust surrounding homey recipes invited a woman to peruse the message of equality while warming the oven to bake Hot Water Sponge Cake.

This helped inspire similar votes in other states, including California (1911), Alaska, Arizona, Oregon, and Kansas (1912), and Montana and Nevada (1913).