Local Ocean It’s History
Miss America
1921
By Fred Miller
O
NE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, September 8, 1921, the first Miss America pageant was won by Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C. She was named “America’s Most Beautiful Bathing Girl” (a year later, her title was shortened to “Miss America”) over eight other women representing Atlantic City, Ocean City, New York City, Pittsburgh, Camden, Newark, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. The September 10, 1921 Ocean City Ledger reported: “Ocean City figured quite prominently in Atlantic City’s great pageant this week, and Miss Hazel Harris, who won The Ledger’s prettiest girl contest, got much applause, as Miss Ocean City, from the multitude
Arthur R. Behan, an Ocean City lifeguard, won the first prize in best physical build contest for lifeguards.
34 OCNJMAGAZINE.COM
FALL 2021
An article on the front page of the September 15, 1921 Ocean City Ledger reported on Lifeguard Behan's first prize in the best physical build contest.
