LOS ANGELES – Bess Myerson, the first Jewish Miss America and a New York political force until a series of scandals dubbed the "Bess Mess" forced her into obscurity, has died. She was 90.
Myerson died Dec. 14 at her home in Santa Monica, California, according to the Los Angeles coroner's office and Department of Public Health Vital Records Office. Her death was first reported by The New York Times.
The Bronx-born Myerson was hailed as a Jewish, feminist Jackie Robinson — a groundbreaker for her religion and sex — after parlaying her stunning 1945 Miss America victory into national celebrity.
The 5-foot-10 dark-haired beauty, unlike her predecessors, accentuated her intelligence. Myerson landed a series of television jobs, from game show
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A 1970 shoplifting conviction was also made public.
Although Myerson and her co-defendants were acquitted in the divorce-fixing case, the damage was done. She had already resigned her Koch administration post, and her public career was virtually over.
The Miss America Organization said in a statement Monday that Myerson would be remembered for her unwavering commitment to equality.
"Bess used her Miss America title to fight anti-Semitism and racial bigotry as she traveled around the country," the organization said.
Bess Myerson was born July 16, 1924, the second daughter of Russian immigrants. Raised in a one-bedroom Bronx apartment, she was beloved by her housepainter father, Louis, and beleaguered by her strict mother, Bella.
By age 12, Myerson was taller and thinner than her classmates — she once played Olive Oyl in a school production. Her natural beauty soon emerged, and older sister Sylvia shepherded Myerson into the Miss New York City pageant in 1945.
Myerson won, advancing to Atlantic City for the Miss America pageant. Organizers urged her to change her name — they suggested "Betty Merrick" — but Myerson