Bess Myerson, who was the only Jewish Miss America and later forged a career in New York City government that ended in scandal, died at home in California, Nydailynews reports.
Myerson was 90.
the first Jewish Miss America and a New York political force until a series of scandals dubbed the "Bess Mess" forced her into obscurity
According to yahoo news The Bronx-born Myerson was crowned Miss America in 1945, just days after the end of World War II and at the height of the pageant’s popularity.
Her victory — after resisting calls to change her last name to the less ethnic-sounding “Marshall” — made her a national name, and a hero to the Jewish community.
She also was famous for her close relationship with former Mayor Ed Koch.
She campaigned with the lifelong bachelor frequently, often holding his hand in front of voters.
They weren’t dating, but the image helped with voters.
"People like to read about me," she said in a 1987 interview. "They like to imagine themselves in my life."
But Myerson's carefully cultivated image crumbled in the mid-1980s under a barrage of political and personal embarrassments that became known as the Bess Mess.
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.
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