Miss America 1926

Miss America 1926
DateSeptember 10, 1926
PresentersKing Neptune (De Wolfe Hopper)
VenueMillion Dollar Pier Ballroom, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants73
Placements15
WinnerNorma Smallwood
Tulsa

Miss America 1926, the sixth Miss America pageant, was held at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Friday, September 10, 1926.[1][2][3] In selecting the new Miss America, it was the opinion of the judges that not only did the winner, Norma Smallwood, Miss Tulsa, have an excellent figure, but also possessed a smile like that of the Mona Lisa.[4]

Smallwood was the first Miss America to also win the award for "the most beautiful girl in evening gown" at the highly-promoted National Beauty Tournament held during pageant week of the twenties. She proved to be an enormously popular selection.[5]

Upon victory, Smallwood, who was an art major at Oklahoma College for Women[6][7][8] in her sophomore year, stated she "might leave school for a year" and looked at her tenure as Miss America from a financial standpoint. She became the poster girl for Meadows Washing Machines and Westinghouse Electric, in addition to many others. It was said she made approximately $100,000 during her year.[9]

One of the finalists, Rosebud Blondell, became the successful Hollywood actress Joan Blondell.

Pictured are 63 of the 73 contestants of the 1926 Miss America Pageant

Results

Placements

Placement Contestant
Miss America 1926
1st Runner-Up
Top 15

Other awards

Award Contestant
Evening Dress
Rolling Chair Parade Winner
Swimsuit Winner

Contestants

State/City Name Age Placement Award Notes
Baltimore, Maryland Mildred Adam
Battle Creek, Michigan Gertrude Fisher
Bay Ridge, New York Florence Meyer
Biloxi, Mississippi Mabel Riley
Boston Boston, Massachusetts Mary "May" Mudge
Bridgeport, Connecticut Florence Harriet Green Top 15
Brigantine Beach, New Jersey Mary Mavretic
Charleston, South Carolina Dorothy Brickman
Chicago Chicago, Illinois Mae Greene
Colorado Colorado Jeanette Roland
Dallas Dallas, Texas Rosebud Blondell Top 15 Later became a known actress by the name of Joan Blondell
Denver, Colorado Delores Conrad Top 15
Detroit, Michigan Ruth Mae Fowler
Duluth, Minnesota Florence Fuller
Elizabeth, New Jersey Lucy Taylor
Florida Florida Margaret Jennell Tate
Fort Worth, Texas Winnie Law
Greater New York Ruth K. Patterson Top 15 Rolling Chair Parade Winner
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford, Connecticut Doris Laretta Beaupre
Hoboken, New Jersey Anita Limbacker
Houston Houston, Texas Zasada Lord
Huntington, West Virginia Olive Davis
Indiana Indiana Wanda Marie Sobczak 20
Kansas City, Missouri Marguerite Jordan Top 15
Lansing, Michigan Joyce Jean Hurd Top 15
Lockport, Massachusetts Mary Robinson
Louisville, Kentucky Gladys Imogene King
Madison, Wisconsin Dorothy Seller
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Florence Andrees
Minneapolis Minneapolis, Minnesota Helen Katherine Douglas
Missouri Missouri Ruby Wallace
Mobile, Alabama Vivian McDowell
Newark, New Jersey Mildred Morlock Top 15
New Haven, Connecticut Molla Barnett
New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana Edna du Vernay
Norfolk, Virginia Eleanor V. Reid Top 15
Omaha, Nebraska Anne Kathleen Foucar
Orange, New Jersey Evelynne Jeanne Crowell Top 15
Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Anna Mae Reefer Top 15
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Thelma Williams
Portland, Oregon Maxine Jennings
Portsmouth, Massachusetts Rosa Lee Irving
Pottsville, Pennsylvania Esther Weissinger
San Francisco San Francisco, California Eleanor Twohig
Scranton, Pennsylvania Illa Williams
Seattle, Washington Leona Fengler Top 15
South Dakota South Dakota Mary Davis
Spokane Spokane, Washington Gloria Smith
Springfield, Massachusetts Muriel Borek
St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri Corinne Groves Top 15
Tacoma, Washington Dorothy Rothermell
Tulsa, Oklahoma Norma Smallwood 17 Winner Swimsuit Award


Evening Dress Award

First Native American to win Miss America
Union City, New Jersey Elizabeth Welch
Utah Utah Doretta "Dora" Carstensen 16
Washington, D.C. Washington D.C. Marjorie Joesting 1st runner-up
Wheeling, West Virginia Mary Cecilia Cresap
Wichita, Kansas Ruth Richardson
Wildwood Gables, New Jersey Kathleen Coyle
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Helen Villet Grant
Yonkers, New York Catherine Kennedy Top 15

References

  1. ^ "'Miss America' Likes Tall Man". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. 1926-09-11. p. 1.
  2. ^ "Miss America and her Second". Daily Globe. Associated Press. 1926-09-11. p. 1.
  3. ^ "Tulsa Girl Wins Beauty Title". Harrison Times. 1926-09-17. p. 6.
  4. ^ N.E.A. (1926-09-13). "Meet Mona Lisa of the U.S.A.". Manitowoc Herald News. p. 5.
  5. ^ "Miss America History 1926". Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
  6. ^ Lester, Terrell. "Reigning Queen//Former Tulsan Won 1926 Miss America Title," Tulsa World, April 6, 1997. Accessed March 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "Miss America of 1926" OCW Trend, October 7, 1926. Accessed March 20, 2015.
  8. ^ "Mona Lisa Was Not a Jazz Hound; Neither Is Miss America," Waco News-Tribune, September 16, 1926, p. 17.
  9. ^ "Miss America History 1926". Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
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