1921 Margaret Gorman Washington, DC- Margaret won the title of Miss Washington DC in 1921. Her image was selected from over 1,000 photos submitted to a Washington Herald popularity contest. She then traveled to Atlantic City, where she competed in a “Downtown Beauty Pageant”.
1922 Mary Katherine Campbell Columbus, OH- At the age of 15, Mary Katherine competed against 170 contestants and won the title of Miss Columbus. She then went on to study Art at Ohio State University and Ohio Wesleyan.
1923 Mary Katherine Campbell Columbus, OH- Mary Katherine returned in 1923 to defend her title. She is the only woman to win the crown twice.
1924 Ruth Malcomson Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Ruth won the title after competing against the largest group of contestants ever to compete for Miss America (84 contestants). Ruth’s niece became Miss Pennsylvania in 1956 and her great-niece became Miss Delaware in 1981.
1925 Fay Lanphier Oakland, CA- Fay placed third in the national competition in 1924 as Miss Santa Cruz. She then returned to the pageant in 1925 as Miss California and won the Miss America title. She was the first to win the title representing an entire state. A series of false newspaper reports claimed that the contest had been previously fixed in Fay’s favour.
1926 Norma Smallwood Tulsa, OK- Norma was the Native American (Cherokee) to win the title of Miss America. Norma did a lot of modeling and it is said that she earned around $100,000 during her kidney.
1927 Lois Delander Joliet, IL- Lois was a quiet and studious girl. She packed her bags the night before the final competition certain that she would not win. She was offered $1,000 a week for stage appearances, but she decided to return home to focus on her studies.
1933 Marian Bergeron West Haven, CT – Marian was 15 years old when she was crowned. There was confusion during the counting of points, so no one told Marian that she had won. Later, a wardrobe assistant placed a banner on her and informed her of her victory.
1935 Henrietta leaves Pittsburgh, PA- Henrietta had to drop out of high school during the depression to help earn money to support her family. Her grandmother encouraged her to compete in the Miss Pittsburgh pageant which she won. When she arrived in Atlantic City for the Miss America competition, she learned that, for the first time, contestants were expected to represent talent. She sang and tap danced in an evening dress. She was shocked when she won the crown.
1936 Rose Coyle Philadelphia, PA-Rose already had professional acting experience when she competed for Miss America. After her song and dance routine, the audience went wild. The judges allowed an encore for the first time in pageant history.
1937 Bette Cooper Bertrand Island, NJ – Bette entered the Miss Bertrand Island competition as a dare from some friends. Bette was a devoted student and her parents weren’t sure if they would support her to compete in a beauty pageant. They decided to go on a family vacation to Atlantic City, where Bette won the pageant.
1938 Marilyn Meseke Marion, OH- Marilyn was the first Miss America to be crowned when the nation could see her through movie theater newsreels. Also for the first time during Marilyn’s reign, Miss America began making appearances across the country.
1939 Patricia Donnelly Detroit, MI- Pat also entered her first pageant as a challenge and was crowned Miss Michigan. Not thinking that she would win Miss America, she bathed in her only bathing suit during the competition week. When she found out that she had made it to the finals, she had to borrow a costume from a fellow contestant.
1940 Frances Burke Philadelphia: The Miss America title helped Frances launch a successful modeling career. She later thought of leaving the public eye to settle down and start a family.
1941 Rosemary LaPlanche Los Angeles, CA- Rosemary was named Miss America 1st Runner-up in 1940. The following year, she easily defeated 500 contestants to win Miss California and went on to win the Miss America title. The pageant implemented a rule after her reign that no contestant could compete more than once for the title of Miss America in Atlantic City.
Find out what it takes to win the crown with the best beauty pageant tips.