Norma Des Cygne Smallwood (May 12, 1909 – May 8, 1966) was the winner of the

Miss America 1926 Miss America 1926, the sixth Miss America pageant, was held at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Friday, September 10, 1926. In selecting the new Miss America, it was the opinion of the judges that not only did the winner, ...

pageant.

Early life

Smallwood's hometown was

Bristow, Oklahoma Bristow is a city in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,222 at the 2010 census, down 2.4 percent from the figure of 4,325 recorded in 2000. History Bristow began in 1898, when the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway ("SL& ...

.Jackson, Debbie and Hilary Pittman
"Throwback Tulsa: Ex-Miss America's divorce case scandalized Tulsa in '34,"
''Tulsa World'', May 28, 2015. Accessed May 28, 2015. She was the daughter of Edward Smallwood and Mahalia Angela (Robinette) Smallwood. She also had a half sister and a half brother from her father. She earned the Miss Tulsa title and graduated from high school at age 16.

Miss America 1926

At the time she competed for Miss America, Smallwood was a student at the

Oklahoma College for Women The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) is a public liberal arts college in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is the only public college in Oklahoma with a strictly liberal arts–focused curriculum and is a member of the Council of Public ...

. Her hobbies included swimming, dancing, and horseback riding, and she served as captain of her college hockey team. Smallwood captured first place in both the bather's review and the evening gown contest. For the latter, she wore a pale blue velvet gown designed by Paul Nemzershe.Covington, Hannah
"For Sale: One Miss America Trophy - Mystery Included,"
''Tulsa World'', July 15, 2015. Accessed July 15, 2015. The following evening, she was crowned

. Smallwood is noted as being the first self-identified Native American (

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

) to win the crown. Despite claiming Cherokee heritage, Smallwood and her family are not listed on the

Dawes Rolls The Dawes Rolls (or Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, or Dawes Commission of Final Rolls) were created by the United States Dawes Commission. The commission was authorized by United States Congress in 1893 to exec ...

and were not

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...

tribal citizens. Smallwood wore her long chestnut hair in two braided buns, unlike the bobbed

flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...

style that was popular at the time. Her measurements were 33-24-33, which also contrasted with the flat-chested style preferred by flappers. The ''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...

'' considered Smallwood's win a victory against the nontraditional flappers. During her year as Miss America, she became the poster girl for Meadows Washing Machines and

Westinghouse Electric The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse. It was originally named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" and was renamed "Westinghouse Electric Corporation" in ...

, in addition to many others. It was said she made approximately $100,000 during her year.

Later life

Though Smallwood had originally planned to return to Oklahoma College for Women after her year as Miss America, she instead accepted an offer to tour the United States on the Orpheum Circuit for $1,500 a week. Smallwood married oilman,

Thomas Gilcrease William Thomas Gilcrease (February 8, 1890 – May 6, 1962) was an American oilman, art collector, and philanthropist. During his lifetime, Gilcrease collected more than 10,000 artworks, 250,000 Native American artifacts and 100,000 rare book ...

, on September 3, 1928. They had a daughter, Des Cygne L'Amour Gilcrease, who was born on June 12, 1929, in

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. The marriage ended in divorce on May 2, 1934, and the father was awarded sole custody of their daughter. In 1936, Smallwood married George H. Bruce, president of Aladdin Petroleum Corporation. She died on May 8, 1966, in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

, aged 56.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smallwood, Norma 1909 births 1966 deaths American people of Cherokee descent Miss America 1920s delegates Miss America winners People from Tulsa, Oklahoma People from Wichita, Kansas University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma alumni