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 22
Battle Creek, Michigan Gertrude Fisher 19
Bay Ridge, New York Florence Meyer
Biloxi, Mississippi Mabel Riley 17
Boston, Massachusetts Mary "May" Mudge
Bridgeport, Connecticut Florence Harriet Green 19 Top 15
Brigantine Beach, New Jersey Mary Mavretic
California Aloha Eugenia Porter 18
Charleston, South Carolina Dorothy Brickman 16
Chicago, Illinois Mae Greene
Colorado Jeanette Roland
Dallas, Texas Rosebud Blondell 18 Top 15 Later became a known actress by the name of Joan Blondell
Denver, Colorado Deloras Conrad 20 Top 15
Detroit, Michigan Ruth Mae Fowler 17
Duluth, Minnesota Florence Fuller 18
Elizabeth, New Jersey Lucy Taylor
Florida Margaret Jennell Tate
Fort Worth, Texas Winnie Law 18
Greater New York Ruth K. Patterson 17 Top 15 Rolling Chair Parade Winner
Hartford, Connecticut Doris Loretta Beaupre 16
Hoboken, New Jersey Anita H. Limbacker 23 (26)
Houston, Texas Zayda Lord 20
Huntington, West Virginia Olive Davis 21
Indiana Wanda Marie Sobczak 20
Kansas City, Missouri Marguerite Jordan 20 Top 15
Lansing, Michigan Joyce Jean Hurd 19 Top 15
Lockport, Massachusetts Mary Robinson 19
Louisville, Kentucky Gladys Imogene King
Madison, Wisconsin Dorothy Seller 21
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Florence Andrees 19
Minneapolis, Minnesota Helen Katherine Douglas 16
Missouri Ruby Wallace
Mobile, Alabama Vivian McDowell 19
Newark, New Jersey Mildred Morlock 18 Top 15
New Haven, Connecticut Molla Barnett 18
New Orleans, Louisiana Edna du Vernay 19
Norfolk, Virginia Eleanor V. Reid 18 Top 15
Omaha, Nebraska Anne Kathleen Foucar
Orange, New Jersey Evelynne Jeanne Crowell 16 Top 15
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Anna Mae Reefer 19 Top 15
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Thelma Williams 20
Portland, Oregon Maxine Jennings 17
Portsmouth, Massachusetts Rosa Lee Irving 16
Pottsville, Pennsylvania Esther Weissinger
San Francisco, California Eleanor Twohig 18
Scranton, Pennsylvania Ila E. Williams 17
Seattle, Washington Leona Fengler 23 Top 15
South Dakota Mary Davis 20
Spokane, Washington Glorian Smith
Springfield, Massachusetts Muriel Borek 19
St. Louis, Missouri Corinne Groves 19 Top 15
Tacoma, Washington Dorothy Rothermell 17
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 Doretta "Dora" Carstensen 16
Washington D.C. Marjorie Joesting 22 1st runner-up
Wheeling, West Virginia Mary Cecilia Cresap 19
Wichita, Kansas Ruth Richardson
Wildwood Gables, New Jersey Kathleen Coyle
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Helen Violet Grant 19
Yonkers, New York Catherine Kennedy 18 Top 15


Ineligible Participants

Representing Name Age Notes
Australia Beryl Mills 19 First winner of Miss Australia Quest
Toronto, Canada Jean Ford Tolmie 21 First Miss Toronto
Winnipeg, Canada Lillian McNaughton 18
Okanogan Tribe (Wenatchee, WA) Jessie Jim 19 Miss Princess America II

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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