Miss America 1926

Miss America 1926
Miss America 1926
Date	September 10, 1926
Presenters	King Neptune (De Wolfe Hopper)
Venue	Million Dollar Pier Ballroom, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants	73
Placements	15
Winner	Norma Smallwood; Tulsa
	← 1925 1927 →

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 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	Tulsa – Norma Smallwood
1st Runner-Up	District of Columbia – Marjorie Joosting
Top 15	Bridgeport – Florence Harriet Green Dallas – Rosebud Blondell Denver – Dolores Conrad Greater New York – Ruth K. Patterson Kansas City – Margaret Jordan Lansing – Joyce Jean Hurd Newark – Mildred Morlock Norfolk – Eleanor V. Reid Orange – Evelynne Jeanne Crowell Philadelphia – Anna Mae Reefer Seattle – Leona Natalia Fengler St. Louis – Corinne Groves Yonkers – Catherine Kennedy

Other awards

Award	Contestant
Evening Dress	Tulsa – Norma Smallwood
Rolling Chair Parade Winner	Greater New York – Ruth K. Patterson
Swimsuit Winner	Tulsa – Norma Smallwood

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, Massachusetts	Mary "May" Mudge
Bridgeport, Connecticut	Florence Harriet Green		Top 15
Brigantine Beach, New Jersey	Mary Mavretic
Charleston, South Carolina	Dorothy Brickman
Chicago, Illinois	Mae Greene
Colorado	Jeanette Roland
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	Margaret Jennell Tate
Fort Worth, Texas	Winnie Law
Greater New York	Ruth K. Patterson		Top 15	Rolling Chair Parade Winner
Hartford, Connecticut	Doris Laretta Beaupre
Hoboken, New Jersey	Anita Limbacker
Houston, Texas	Zasada Lord
Huntington, West Virginia	Olive Davis
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, Minnesota	Helen Katherine Douglas
Missouri	Ruby Wallace
Mobile, Alabama	Vivian McDowell
Newark, New Jersey	Mildred Morlock		Top 15
New Haven, Connecticut	Molla Barnett
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, 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, California	Eleanor Twohig
Scranton, Pennsylvania	Illa Williams
Seattle, Washington	Leona Fengler		Top 15
South Dakota	Mary Davis
Spokane, Washington	Gloria Smith
Springfield, Massachusetts	Muriel Borek
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	Doretta "Dora" Carstensen	16
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

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

External links

[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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