The 7th National Spelling Bee was held at the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

on May 27, 1931.(27 May 1931)
Boy, 12, Is Best Speller
''Brooklyn Standard Union'' (UP)

Scripps-Howard The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...

would not sponsor the Bee until 1941. The winner was 12-year-old Ward Randall of

White Hall, Illinois White Hall is a city in Greene County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,520 at the 2010 census. History A post office called White Hall has been in operation since 1827. In 1830 a David Barrow was the first person to built and in lo ...

, correctly spelling the word ''foulard''. Charles Michel, 14, of Bellaire, Ohio took second (misspelling ''foulard'' as ''folard''), followed by Mary Scheidler, 14, of

Millhousen, Indiana Millhousen is a town in Marion Township, Decatur County, Indiana, United States. The population was 149 at the 2020 census. History Millhousen was platted in 1858, having been settled by a colony of German Catholics. It was named for a town of ...

in third.(27 May 1931)
Illinois Youth Wins National Spelling Bee
''Schenectady Gazette'' Blanche Krell, 13, of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

placed fourth. Aaron Butler, Jr. of

Weir, Kansas Weir is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 569. History Weir was founded in 1872. It is named after landowner T. M. Weir, who donated forty acres as a townsite. The first pos ...

, placed fifth. Butler had dropped out at 15th place but was reinstated after contending he had properly spelled "incroachment". When he was reinstated, only six spellers were left. Dorothy Greenwald placed 17th, but went on to win the following year.Maguire, James
American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds
p. 71 (2006) There were 23 contestants this year. Samuel M. North, superintendent of Maryland high schools, served as pronouncer, along with

Charles E. Hill Charles Edward Hill (September 27, 1881 – May 10, 1936) was an American professor of political science at George Washington University. He was a leading expert on international law, particularly when it came to issues involving confined b ...

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

. First prize was $1000, followed by $500 for second, and $250 for third. The NBC radio network broadcast the final hour of the bee.(24 May 1931)
Dignan leaves today for bee
''Louisville Courier-Journal'' Randall was the first Bee winner from Illinois, and alone in that honor until Balu Natarajan won in 1985.Fieldman, Chuck (25 May 2015)
Hinsdale man recalls winning national spelling bee 30 years ago
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

References

{{Scripps National Spelling Bee 07 1931 in education 1931 in Washington, D.C. May 1931 events