The 9th National Spelling Bee was held in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on May 30, 1933, organized by the ''

Louisville Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...

''.

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

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

Twinsburg, Ohio Twinsburg is a suburban city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, located midway between Akron and Cleveland. The population was 19,248 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. History The first person to settle Mills ...

, sponsored by the

Akron Beacon Journal The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon Jo ...

, correctly spelling the word ''torsion''. George Meltzer (age 14) of New Jersey placed second(15 October 2012)
George Meltzer (obituary)
''The Jersey Journal'' (missing ''propitiatory''), followed by 13-year-old Virginia Wood in third (missing ''holocaust'').(30 May 1933)
Paper's National Spelling Bee Won By Akron Girl, 12
''Schenectady Gazette'' Roach won $500 for first place (a drop from the usual $1000), followed by $300 for second, and $100 for third. The event was broadcast on radio.(28 May 1933)
On WABC
''Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' Roach (married name Mercer) became a teacher, retiring from Solon Middle School in her hometown of Twinsburg in 1983. She died at

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

General Hospital on July 31, 2003.(2 August 2003)
Alma R. (Roach) Mercer (obituary)
''Akron Beacon-Journal''

References

{{Scripps National Spelling Bee 09 1933 in Washington, D.C. 1933 in education May 1933 in the United States