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Miss America 1923

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Miss America 1923
Mary Katherine Campbell, Miss America 1923
DateSeptember 7, 1923
PresentersKing Neptune (Hudson Maxim)
VenueMillion Dollar Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants75
Placements5
WinnerMary Katherine Campbell
N/A
← 1922
1924 →
Opening ceremony

Miss America 1923, was the third Miss America pageant, held at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Friday, September 7, 1923.[1][2]

At the conclusion of the event, King Neptune crowned the incumbent titleholder Mary Katherine Campbell as Miss America 1923. Campbell is the only Miss America to win the title twice.[3][4]

Contestants from 75 cities, states, and titles competed at the event. The event was presented by Hudson Maxim dressed as King Neptune.

Overview

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Organization of pageant

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The pageant consisted of four phases of competition: evening dress (called King Neptune's Court); roller chair parade, bathing girl revue, and the final.[5] There was no talent competition at this pageant (this would not become part of the Miss America competition until 1935).[6]

Judges

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The panel of judges for the national pageant included film director, Penrhyn Stanlaws; painter, Joseph Cummings Chase; glamour artist, J. Knowles Hare; illustrator, Dean Cornwell; and painter and illustrator, Norman Rockwell.[7]

Aftermath

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Soon after the conclusion of the pageant, numerous women clubs and church groups protested against any further beauty contests and, "[urged] that they be prohibited by law," and, "[denounced them] as vulgar, undignified 'and demoralizing to young womanhood."[8][9][10] One woman was quoted saying, " 'The beauty of our girls is too glorious, too sacred a thing to be put on exhibition like the freaks in a circus side show, to be commercialized and made the basis for all sorts of mercenary schemes.' "[8]

Another protest arose when Ethelda Kenvin, Miss Brooklyn, was named the 1st runner-up at the conclusion of the contest despite being married since 1921 to professional baseball player Eppie Barnes.[8] Some of her fellow contestants insisted that her placement and awards be revoked due to her marital status and violations of eligibility rules.[8] The judges' panel were made aware of this but ultimately decided to allow Kenvin to keep her prizes.[8]

Additionally, Helmar Liederman of New York filed suit against the contest directors, Armand T. Nichols and Harry L. Godshall, Sr., for $150,000 due to their refusal to allow her to enter the national competition as "Miss Alaska" because she was a married woman, despite being authorized to compete by a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska.[8]

Results

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Placements

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Placement Contestant
Miss America 1923
"Golden Mermaid"
1st Runner-Up
2nd Runner-Up
3rd Runner-Up
4th Runner-Up

Awards

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Evening Dress Award

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Award also referred to as "King Neptune's Court."[5]

Results Contestant
Winner
Runner-up

Roller Chair Parade

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Awards Contestant
Grand Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
Fourth Prize
Fifth Prize

Contestants

[edit]
  •   Winner
  •   Runner-up
  •   Non-Finalist Award Winner
City / State / Title Name Age Notes
Akron Thelma Boyd[17]
Alaska Helmar Liederman[8][18] 24 Competed in Miss America 1922 pageant as Miss Alaska.[19]
Disqualified from 1923 pageant because she was married.[8][18]
Albany Peggy Ross[20]
Allentown Helen Noble[21]
Altoona Margaret Lillian Ross[20]
Asheville Rose Hildebrand[20]
Atlanta, Georgia Frances Thayer[20]
Baltimore Billie Muller[20]
Binghamton Bonita C. Bement[21] 19
Birmingham Louise Newman[20]
Boston Boston Margaret L. Black[20]
Bridgeton Sarah Delp[20]
Brighton Beach Edithea Lois Wild[22] 15
Brooklyn Ethelda Kenvin[20] 24 Married baseball player, E.D. Barnes, in 1921[8]
Buffalo Irene Knight[20]
Burlington Hazel Gove[20]
Cambridge Doris Rowden George[23]
Camden Florence Nurock[23]
Cape May Mildred McCann[23]
Chicago Chicago Corrine Dellefield[23]
Cincinnati Cincinnati Olga Emrick[23] Later worked as a stenographer and was active with the "Anti-Flirt Club"[24]
Cleveland Mary Jane Clark[23]
Columbus Genevieve Mambourg[23]
Coney Island Heather Eulalie Walker[14] Star of the lost musical film, Hit the Deck, opposite Jack Oakie[25]
Cumberland Elizabeth Catherine Steele[26] 18
Detroit Beth Madson[23] Also competed in Miss America 1922 pageant as Miss Detroit[27]
Easton Agnes Connelly[23]
Erie Dorothy Haupt[23] Also competed in Miss America 1922 pageant as Miss Easton[28]
Fort Worth Bessie Laurene Roosa[29]
Hammonton Alice Kind[23]
Harrisburg Helen R. Knisely[30]
Jacksonville Alyce Phillips[21]
Johnstown Betty Grening[31]
Lakeland Mary Weaver[32]
Lebanon Grace Kohr[33]
Long Branch Elene Hicks[6] 19 Died of breast cancer in 1940 at age 38[6]
Louisville Juanita Hobbs[23]
Memphis Elizabeth Mallory[34]
Miami Katherine Kyle[35] Also known as "Katherine Newlon"[35]
Miss America 1921 C. Margaret Gorman[36] 18 Competed as Miss America 1921[36]
Miss America 1922 Mary Katherine Campbell[23] 16[9] Competed as Miss America 1922[23]
Only woman to win the national pageant twice[11]
New Bedford Mildred Salisbury[21]
New Haven Helen Haddock[23]
New Jersey New Jersey Elizabeth McClure[37]
Alberta Dorothy Smith[37]
Elsie Banholzer[37]
New York City New York City Peggy Verna Shevlin[23]
Niagara Falls Nelda Tell[23]
Norristown Mildred Maconachy[38]
Ocean City Grace Taylor[39]
Oklahoma City Mary Deen Overly[40]
Pensacola Katherine Floyd[41][42]
Philadelphia Philadelphia Marion Green[43]
Portland Winona Evelyn Drew[30]
Portland Patricia Smith[23]
Pottsville Isabel Lynch[21]
Providence Loretta La Flamme[21]
Reading Jane Ondeck[44]
Richmond Billie Gates[45]
Rochester Reta Cowles[46]
St. Louis Charlotte Nash[16] 17 Married millionaire and theatre magnate, Fred Nixon-Nirdlinger, twice[47][48]
Shot and killed Nixon-Nirdlinger in March 1931 in Nice, France[47][49]
Was acquitted after successfully arguing act was in self-defense[50][51]
San Antonio Katherine Helmsley[23]
San Francisco Violet Regal[52]
Sunbury Mary Botto[30]
Syracuse Eileen Snyder[5]
Trenton Alma D. DeCone[23]
Tulsa Constance Crosby[53]
Vineland Mary E. Edwards[23]
Washington, D.C. Lorraine Bunch[23]
West Virginia Neva Jackson[54]
Wildwoody Eleanor Addis[23]
Wilmington Ruth Agnes Brady[45]

References

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  1. ^ "Miss Columbus Again Captures Beauty Title". The Norwalk Hour. 1923-09-07. p. 16.
  2. ^ "Ohio Girl Again is 'Miss America'". The Sandusky Register. 1923-09-08. p. 1.
  3. ^ "Twice Honored As Miss America". The Sandusky Star Journal. 1923-09-08. p. 5.
  4. ^ "Miss America History 1923". Archived from the original on 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
  5. ^ a b c d Croyle, Johnathan (September 8, 2018). "Miss Syracuse charms at the 1923 Miss America Pageant". Syracuse.com.
  6. ^ a b c Schnitzspahn, Karen (September 8, 1997). "There She Was – Miss Long Branch". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. ...talent contest that was established in 1935.
  7. ^ a b c "Columbus, O. Girl Again Wins Title of "Miss America"". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 8, 1923. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Why They Want a Law Forbidding Beauty Contests". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. November 11, 1923. Feature Section, p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Watson, Elwood; Martin, Darcy (2004). "There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant (1 ed.). New York, New York: Springer Publishing. ISBN 1403981825 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Attacks Bathing Review: Preacher Says Atlantic City Event Endangers Youthful Morals". The New York Times. New York, New York. September 11, 1923. p. 15.
  11. ^ a b "Miss Columbus Again Captures Beauty Title". The Norwalk Hour. September 7, 1923. p. 16.
  12. ^ "Miss Columbus Again Elected Beauty Queen". Wausau Daily Record-Herald. Wausau, Wisconsin. September 8, 1923. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "1923 Miss America Pageant 1st Runner-Up Trophy - Brooklyn Kid Makes Good". Lelands. September 21, 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Beauty Escapes Death; Miss Coney Island Arrives Too Late for Fatal Flight". The New York Times. New York, New York. September 9, 1923. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com. ...who finished third in the international beauty tournament...
  15. ^ a b "Columbus Girl Wins for Second Time Title of Miss America". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. September 8, 1923. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. ...Miss Charlotte Nash of St Louis and Miss Marian Green of Philadelphia were the runners up, in the order named.
  16. ^ a b c d e f "Miss St. Louis First in Atlantic City Beauty Trials". The Pittsburgh Post. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 6, 1923. p. 2.
  17. ^ "Be Chosen In Beauty Show". The Lima News. Lima, Ohio. September 7, 1923. p. 1 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  18. ^ a b Dunn, Geoffrey (August 24, 2011). "Arctic Venus: The first Miss Alaska". Anchorage Press. Anchorage, Alaska.
  19. ^ "Miss Alaska Follows Trail of Ice, Water, Air, Rail to Beauty Camp". Daily News. New York, New York. September 3, 1922. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Golden Apple Is Sought by Scores". The Allentown Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. September 6, 1923. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b c d e f "Half a Dozen America Beauties, Please". The Daily News. Frederick, Maryland. September 6, 1923. p. 11 – via Newspaper.com.
  22. ^ "Lois Wilde, Famous Model at 15, Still Loves Dolls, but Aspires to Be a Bernhardt". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. December 10, 1922. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Golden Apple Is Sought by Scores". The Allentown Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. September 6, 1923. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Coe, Alexis (February 12, 2013). "Stop That Skirt-Chaser! The Movement to Outlaw Flirting in the 1920s". The Atlantic. Olga Emrick, a Cincinnati stenographer, shows how a jiu-jitsu twist
  25. ^ "Hit the Deck – 1929". IMDb.
  26. ^ "Elizabeth Catherine Steele Crowned "Miss Cumberland"". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. August 30, 1923. p. 1 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  27. ^ "America's Prettiest Girls". The Evening News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. September 14, 1922. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Arbuckle, Alex Q. (July 12, 2015). "1922:The first Miss America". Mashable. Gorman, far right, poses in swimwear, with Mary Dague as "Miss Wheeling," Dorothy Haupt as "Miss Easton,"...
  29. ^ "Wins Beauty Contest". National Petroleum News. Vol. 15, no. 3. National Petroleum Publishing Company. September 5, 1923. p. 62 – via Google Books.
  30. ^ a b c "More Beauties". The Daily News. Frederick, Maryland. September 6, 1923. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Miss Johnstown Selected by Judges". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 1, 1923. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Hetherington, M.F. "History of Polk County Florida". Lakeland, Florida: The Record Company. Miss Mary Weaver represented Lakeland in the Beauty Pageant at Atlantic City in September, 1923.
  33. ^ "Miss Grace Kohr Wins Right to Represent Lebanon in Shore Beauty Pageant Next Month". Evening Report. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. August 21, 1923. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Trade Conditions". The Jewelers' Circular. Vol. 88. April 23, 1924. p. 92 – via Google Books. Miss Elizabeth Mallory, Miss Memphis for 1923, pitched the first ball.
  35. ^ a b "Miss Newlon Is to Represent City". Miami News-Metropolis. Miami, Florida. September 3, 1923. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ a b "Margaret Gorman Cahill, 90; First Miss America". Los Angeles Times. October 5, 1995.
  37. ^ a b c "Miss America 1923 Candidates". Miss America. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  38. ^ "Miss Norristown". The New York Times. New York, New York. September 2, 1923. p. 74 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "Grace Taylor Is Miss Ocean City". Cape May County Times. New York, New York. August 17, 1923. p. 1.
  40. ^ "Beauty". Dixon Evening Telegraph. Dixon, Illinois. September 8, 1923. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "illegible". Albert Lea Freeborn County Standard. Albert Lea, Minnesota. September 27, 1923. p. 3 – via NewspaperArchive.com. Katherine Floyd...was entered as "Miss Pensacola" in the National Beauty Show at Atlantic City, NJ.
  42. ^ "From the Sunny South". The Daily News. Frederick, Maryland. September 6, 1923. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "Miss Philadelphia Leads the Parade". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. September 7, 1923. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ "ineligible". Reading Times. Reading, Pennsylvania. October 4, 1923. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Miss Jane Ondeck who represented Reading at the Atlantic City pageant...
  45. ^ a b "Beauties". Olean Evening Times. Olean, New York. September 5, 1923. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ "Daily Graphic Review of News Events". Athens Messenger. Athens, Ohio. September 4, 1923. p. 7 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  47. ^ a b "Beauty Contest Girl Held as Husband Shot to Death". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. San Bernardino, California. March 13, 1931. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ "Charlotte Nash". The St. Louis Star. St. Louis, Missouri. May 19, 1926. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ "Mrs. Nixon-Nirdlinger Goes on Trial Today". The New York Times. New York, New York. May 20, 1931. p. 13.
  50. ^ "First Intimate Details of Her Romance With the Theatrical Magnate". The St. Louis Star. St. Louis, Missouri. July 7, 1931. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com. ...acquitted in Nice, France of the murder of her husband.
  51. ^ "Takes Jury Ten Minutes to Acquit US Beauty". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. May 20, 1913.
  52. ^ "Extra Attraction". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. August 22, 1923. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ^ "Miss Tulsa in Chair". The Tulsa Tribune. 10 September 1923. p. 1. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  54. ^ "West Virginia's Best". The Daily News. Frederick, Maryland. September 6, 1923. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.

Secondary sources

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  • Saulino Osborne, Angela (1995). "Miss Americas and their Courts". Miss America The Dream Lives On. Taylor Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87833-110-7.
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