Jean Bartel

Jean Bartel was crowning Miss California and Miss America 1943. She won ability and swimsuit awards at the national pageant.Bartel was the tallest parade winner at the time. There had been comparisons between Bartel and accepted blond actress Carol Lombard. Bartel initially enter the pageant after learning one of the judges was Broadway actor and producer W. Horace Schmidlapp. This ploy worked. Not only was she chosen as Miss America after a vocal presentation the press hailed as a "forceful and dramatic style," she appear on stage in "The Desert Song" at the New York City Center for Music and Drama. Bartel was the first Miss America to decline to pose in her swimsuit after the pageant, a choice that ultimately led to Catalina Swimwear dropping their backing and starting the Miss USA Pageant. Bartel was also the very initial college girl to win the title of Miss America.

Birthdate	1924
Birth name	Jean Bartel
Measurements	36-23-35
Height	5 ft 8 in
Title(s)	Miss California Miss America 1943
Major competition(s)	Miss America 1943 (winner)