Bess Myerson ( July 16 , 1924 &ndash; December 14 , 2014 ) was an American politician , model and television actress who became famous in 1945 as the first Jewish Miss America . Myerson is the only Jewish woman to win the title . Her achievement , in the aftermath of the Holocaust , was seen as an affirmation of the Jewish place in American life . She was a hero 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 and 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
Miss America
Miss America 1945
Bess Myerson