Bess Myerson (born July 16, 1924 in Bronx,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) became in 1945 the first Jewish woman to win the
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant. She appeared on various television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s and '80s, she was involved in New York City politics.
While competing in beauty pageants, Myerson refused, despite entreaties, to employ a
pseudonymA pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
that "sounded less Jewish." She faced
prejudiceA prejudice is a preconceived belief, opinion or judgment especially toward a group of people characterized by their race, social class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or religion...
even after winning the Miss America title, with many sponsors and events long associated with the pageant refusing to deal with her.
Bess Myerson (born July 16, 1924 in Bronx,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) became in 1945 the first Jewish woman to win the
Miss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant. She appeared on various television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s and '80s, she was involved in New York City politics.
While competing in beauty pageants, Myerson refused, despite entreaties, to employ a
pseudonymA pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
that "sounded less Jewish." She faced
prejudiceA prejudice is a preconceived belief, opinion or judgment especially toward a group of people characterized by their race, social class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or religion...
even after winning the Miss America title, with many sponsors and events long associated with the pageant refusing to deal with her. She later campaigned for
civil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights and freedoms that protect individuals from unwarranted government action and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression....
, in particular, working with the
Anti-Defamation LeagueThe Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States of America. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and...
.
In 1954, Myerson was a panelist on
The Name's the SameThe Name's the Same was an American game show that was produced by Goodson-Todman for the ABC television network from December 5, 1951 to August 31, 1954, followed by a run from October 25, 1954 to October 7, 1955....
television
game showA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
. From 1958 through 1967, she was a panelist on
I've Got a SecretI've Got a Secret is a weekly panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show What's My Line?. The original version of the show premiered on June 19, 1952...
. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Myerson enjoyed a successful television career as a TV personality, actress and commercial pitchwoman for a myriad of popular products.
She survived
ovarian cancerOvarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from different parts of the ovary.The most common form of ovarian cancer arises from the outer lining of the ovary.. However, recent evidence shows cells that line the Fallopian tube also to be prone to develop into the same kind of cancer as seen in...
after being diagnosed with the disease in 1973. She also suffered a stroke many years later.
Marriages
Myerson married Allen Wayne, a doll company executive, in 1947. They had one daughter, Barbara, before divorcing in 1958. Her second marriage was to Arnold Grant, a tax lawyer, in 1962. They divorced in 1967. Myerson and Grant remarried in 1968 before divorcing again in 1971.
Politics
Myerson was
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
's first Commissioner of Consumer Affairs (under
Mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
John LindsayJohn Vliet Lindsay was an American politician,lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
), later serving as Commissioner of Cultural Affairs under Mayor
Ed KochEdward Irving "Ed" Koch was a United States Congressman from 1969 to 1977 and the Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989.-Early life:...
. Throughout the late 1970s and the beginning of his mayoral ambitions, Myerson was a frequent public companion of
Ed KochEdward Irving "Ed" Koch was a United States Congressman from 1969 to 1977 and the Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989.-Early life:...
.
In 1980, Myerson ran for the Democratic nomination for New York's
U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
seat against Congresswoman
Elizabeth HoltzmanElizabeth Holtzman is an American lawyer and former Democratic politician, pioneer woman officeholder, four term U.S. Representative , two term District Attorney of Kings County , and New York City Comptroller Her role on the House Judiciary committee during the Watergate scandal drew national...
, Queens District Attorney
John J. Santucci, and former New York City mayor
John LindsayJohn Vliet Lindsay was an American politician,lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
. Myerson lost to Holtzman by a slim margin. Meanwhile, Alfonse D'Amato had defeated Jacob Javits, the incumbent, in the GOP primary. The ailing Javits ran as a Liberal, splitting the left of center opposition to d'Amato, who narrowly defeated Holtzman. After her loss, Myerson reasoned that she seemed "too tall and beautiful" to be a Senator.
Later years
In the 1980s, Myerson's life was darkened by a messy legal controversy (colloquially known as "the Bess Mess"). Her lover, sewer contractor
Carl Andrew CapassoCarl Andrew Capasso aka Andy Capasso, was a sewer contractor who had been convicted of tax fraud. He was accused of bribing judge Hortense Gabel by arranging, for the judge's daughter Sukhreet Gabel, a job with Bess Myerson. Myerson was indicted and resigned her positions with the City of New...
(1945-2001) , who had been convicted of tax fraud, was accused of bribing judge
Hortense Gabel (1912-1990) by arranging, for the judge's daughter
Sukhreet Gabel, a job in Myerson's department. Myerson was herself indicted and resigned her positions with the City of New York. She was ultimately acquitted. The scandal is the subject of a book by
Shana AlexanderShana Alexander was an American journalist. Although she became the first woman staff writer and columnist for Life magazine, she was best known for her participation in the "Point-Counterpoint" debate segments of 60 Minutes with conservative James J. Kilpatrick...
(1991). In recent years, Myerson has promoted social causes and engaged in
philanthropyPhilanthropy is the effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations.- Definition :It is generally agreed that the word was coined 2500 years ago in ancient Greece, by the playwright Aeschylus, or whom ever else wrote Prometheus Bound...
. She has recorded public service announcements about ovarian cancer awareness for broadcast in the area of her home in South Florida.
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