Bess Myerson, American model, activist, game show panelist and television personality; Miss America 1945 (b. 1924)
Bess Myerson (July 16, 1924 – December 14, 2014) was an American politician, model and television actress who became famous in 1945 as the first Miss America who was also Jewish. Myerson is the only Jewish woman to win the title to date.
Her achievement, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, was seen as an affirmation of the Jewish place in American life. She was a heroine to the Jewish community, where "she was the most famous pretty girl since Queen Esther."Myerson made frequent television appearances during the 1950s and 1960s. She was a commissioner in the New York City government, served on presidential commissions from the 1960s through the 1980s, and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. Her career in public service ended in the late 1980s when she was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges. She was acquitted after a highly publicized trial.