| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Born | Mary Katherine Campbell December 18, 1905 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | June 7, 1990 |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 130 lb (59 kg) |
| Measurements | 35-26-36 in |
| Hair color | Auburn |
| Eye color | Hazel |
| Title(s) | Miss Columbus, Ohio Miss America 1922 Miss America 1923 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss America (winner-twice) |
| Spouse | Frederick Townley |
Mary Katherine Campbell (December 18, 1905–June 7, 1990) was the only person to win the Miss America pageant twice, and the second woman in history to win the title. Campbell was Miss America 1922 and Miss America 1923, and she was also First Runner Up at the 1924 Miss America Pageant. Competing as "Miss Columbus" (interchangeable with Miss Ohio) in all three pageants, Campbell was only sixteen years old at the time of her first crowning in 1922. After the 1924 pageant, in which the judge's scores revealed that Campbell had almost won the title a third time, the Miss America Organization changed the rules so that "a contestant may only win the Miss America title once."
She became "Miss Columbus" over a field of 170 other women, and proceeded to Atlantic City where the Inter-City competition had grown to include 57 women from around the country.[1] Campbell entered her second successful attempt in the beauty pageant as Miss America competing in Atlantic City against a field of 56 other women.[2][3]
It would be the last time in Miss America history where "professional" (model, Dorothy Knapp) and "amateur" (West Philadelphia's Gladys Grenemeyer) winners would be judged as finalists against the "Inter-City" champion (Mary Katherine Campbell) and place as runners-up to the Miss America title.
Mary Katherine received offers from three movies, two Broadway musical comedies, a circus, and Vaudeville. She was even approached by Flo Ziegfeld to become a Ziegfeld Girl, and perform with the famous Ziegfield Follies, but her mother wouldn't permit it. Mary Katherine was allowed to sing "My Buddy" on the Keith Circuit for several weeks, but, "You couldn't hear me past the third row," she explained. [4]
Campbell had graduated with a diploma from East High School in February 1922, and entered Ohio State University as an Art Major immediately after her selection as Miss America.[5] She also attended Ohio Wesleyan.[6]
Through her father, Campbell had Native American ancestry specific to the Muscogee Creek people as well as the Cree, though she was not aware of it when she was crowned. She was also of French, Swedish, English and Scottish heritage. [7]
| Preceded by -- |
Miss Columbus 1922 |
Succeeded by Elizabeth Mambourg |
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