Miss America 1925, the fifth Miss America pageant, was held at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Friday, September 11, 1925. Entrants from the West Coast, Miss California, Fay Lanphier from Oakland, and Miss Los Angeles, Adrienne Dore, captured the top two awards. The newly crowned beauty queen was a runner-up in the 1924 competition. Lanphier was also the first Miss America crowned representing an entire state.
Reports were received that King Neptune, portrayed by actor Ernest Torrence, somehow fell into the ocean and had to be pulled out ("rescued") by lifeguards. Also on hand for the final night of pageant activities was Triton, son of Neptune, played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Ruth Malcomson, the winner from the previous year, decided not to defend her title due to her belief that professionals were entering the Inter-City competition as a Hollywood film was to be shot around the 1925 pageant. Her decision drew controversy in the press, and began false speculation that the pageant wasn't honest. The pageant committee quickly instituted a new rule that no Miss America could return to competition.
Results Placements Placement Contestant Miss America 1925 – Fay Lanphier 1st Runner-Up – Adrienne Dore Top 5 Bronx – Edith Higgins – Alice Beatrice Roberts Syracuse – Fern Jackson Top 15 – Laurice McFarland – Elsie Connor Detroit – Jane Porter Jersey City – Frances M. Glowaski Louisville – Madeline O’Laughlin – Ruth Wooddall – Lucille McGinnity Newark – Helen Corcoran Omaha – Myrtis Roach Pittsburgh – Mildred Walker
Other awards Awards Contestant Rolling Chair Parade Winner Pensacola - Lucy Davis Young
Contestants City / State Name Age Hometown Placement Special awards NotesAlbuquerque, New MexicoCelina ChauvinBalboa, Panama Canal ZoneRena De YoungBalboa, Panama Canal ZoneRepresented the Balboa in the Panama Canal Zone. The Canal Zone was an area directly administered by the United States and thus was considered US soil, thus making De Young eligible to compete in the pageant. Baltimore, MarylandThelma KrakanBay Ridge, New YorkEthel GroesbackBiloxi, MississippiLaurice McFarlandTop 15 Birmingham, AlabamaNellie Kincaid Boston, MassachusettsNina WolffBridgeport, ConnecticutAlta Sommerville The Bronx, New YorkEdith HigginsTop 5 Brooklyn, New YorkPeggy Moore CaliforniaFay Lanphier19Winner Chicago, IllinoisMargarita Gonzales Cleveland, OhioElsie ConnorTop 15Dallas, TexasElinore WilkensDetroit, MichiganJane PorterTop 15Elgin, IllinoisLucille BurnsErie, PennsylvaniaMary Ann GuthFort Worth, TexasMary Louis KilmanFrederick, MarylandMildred Lee PurdyGalveston, TexasLucille KingGreater New York, New YorkAlice Beatrice RobertsTop 5Hagerstown, MarylandAleda Bradford CookHartford, ConnecticutMary Brandaburg Houston, TexasEdna FrancisHuntington, West VirginiaEleanor McCrackenJersey City, New JerseyFrancis M. GlowaskiTop 15Lancaster, PennsylvaniaEstella WittellLos Angeles, CaliforniaAdrienne Dore1st runner-upLouisville, KentuckyMary Madeline O'LaughlinTop 15Manchester, ConnecticutHelen KanehlMiami, FloridaRuth WooddallTop 15Milwaukee, WisconsinVirginia ArmstrongMinneapolis, MinnesotaLucille McGintyTop 15 Newark, New JerseyHelen CorcoranTop 15New EnglandKatherine Kearns New JerseyLee Bartlett New Orleans, LouisianaThelma RoelingNorfolk, VirginiaDorothea Price OhioElarka TowneOklahoma City, OklahomaFern MarlowOmaha, NebraskaMyrtle RoachTop 15 Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaMildred WalkerTop 15Pensacola, FloridaLucy Davis YoungRolling Chair Parade WinnerPottsville, PennsylvaniaElsie GallagherReading, PennsylvaniaFlorence Zawidski Rhode IslandLoretta BerchmanSt. Louis, MissouriEileen WenzelSan Francisco, CaliforniaEdyth FlynnSanta Cruz, CaliforniaYetta HaberScranton, PennsylvaniaBeula KeatorSeattle, WashingtonEvelyn CarmanSioux City, IowaDorothy NordykeSt. Paul, MinnesotaDorothy BastyrSyracuse, New YorkFern JacksonTop 5Toledo, OhioEmilia Kaniewska Tulsa, OklahomaSue StarkeyUniontown, PennsylvaniaMildred Sherman Washington, D.C.Abbie EaganWatertown, New YorkFlorence V. AndrewsWestchester, New YorkEmma SoltisWichita, KansasWildeana WithersYonkers, New YorkWilma AnsellYoungstown, OhioIsabel Robertson
References
External links
Miss America official website