# Miss America 1940

Miss America 1940, the 14th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the first time since 1933. The finals were held on September 7, 1940. Aside from the winner, Frances Burke, Miss Philadelphia, two other contestants from Pennsylvania placed among the Top 15, one representing Eastern Pennsylvania and the other from Western Pennsylvania.
The runner-up, Rosemary LaPlanche, would become Miss America 1941, before the pageant instituted rules preventing contestants from competing more than once.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss America 1940 | Philadelphia – Frances Marie Burke |
| 1st Runner-Up | California – Rosemary LaPlanche |
| 2nd Runner-Up | Michigan – Monnie Drake |
| 3rd Runner-Up | Massachusetts – Polly Connors |
| 4th Runner-Up | Kentucky – Dorothy Slatten |
| Top 15 | Delaware – Peggy E. Insolo  District of Columbia – Catherine Virginia Howe  Eastern Pennsylvania – Mildred Irene Saha  Huntington – Juanita Park Wright  Miami – Mitzi Strother  Missouri – Virginia Morrison  Montana – Kay Kittendorff  Myrtle Beach – LaBruce Sherill  Oklahoma – Ada Martyne Wood  Western Pennsylvania – Alberta Louise Carts |

### Awards
#### Preliminary awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Lifestyle and Fitness | California – Rosemary LaPlanche  Kentucky – Dorothy Slatten  Philadelphia – Frances Marie Burke |
| Talent | District of Columbia – Catherine Virginia Howe  Michigan – Monnie Drake (tie)  Montana – Kay Kittendorff (tie) Myrtle Beach – LaBruce Sherill |

## Contestants

| Title | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards |
| Arizona | Anna Marie Barnett | Bisbee | | | | |
| Arkansas | Betty Benson | Forrest City | | | | |
| Birmingham | Evelyn Motlow | Birmingham | | Vocal | | |
| California | Rosemary LaPlanche | Los Angeles | 17 | Dance | 1st Runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness |
| Central Ohio | Bette Jane Hart | | | | | |
| Colorado | Eileen Hoskins | Denver | | | | |
| Connecticut | Dorothy Pickard | New Haven | | | | |
| Delaware | Peggy Insolo | Wilmington | | Piano | Top 15 | |
| Delaware County | Dorothy A. Wall | Lansdowne | | | | |
| District of Columbia | Catherine Howe | | 22 | Dance, "The Yam" | Top 15 | Preliminary Talent Award |
| Eastern New York | Geraldine Anne Racine | | | | | |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | Mildred Saha | Secane | | | Top 15 | |
| Huntington | Juanita Park Wright | Huntington | | | Top 15 | |
| Indiana | Carolyn Akin | Evansville | | Tap Dance | | |
| Kansas City | Gloria Kathleen Gipson | Kansas City | | | | |
| Kentucky | Dorothy Slatten | Lexington | | | 4th Runner-up | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness |
| Knoxville | Thelma McGhee | Knoxville | | | | |
| Maine | Shirley Edith Houston | Augusta | | | | |
| Maryland | Marie Beiser | Baltimore | | | | |
| Massachusetts | Polly Connors | Bedford | | | 3rd Runner-up | |
| Miami | Mitzie Strother | Miami | | | Top 15 | |
| Michigan | Monnie Drake | Detroit | | Vocal, "Bill" | 2nd Runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award |
| Minnesota | Virginia Kepler | Minneapolis | | | | |
| Mississippi | Carolyn Simon | Greenville | | | | |
| Missouri | Virginia Morrison | St. Louis | | | Top 15 | |
| Montana | Kay Kittendorf | Missoula | | Classical Vocal, "Un bel dì, vedremo" from Madama Butterfly | Top 15 | Preliminary Talent Award |
| Montgomery | Carolyn Foreman | Montgomery | | | | |
| Myrtle Beach | LaBruce Sherill | Myrtle Beach | | Tap Dance, "Cocktails for Two" | Top 15 | Preliminary Talent Award |
| New Jersey | Mildred Marie Selko | Kearny | | | | |
| New Orleans | Pauline Powell | New Orleans | | | | |
| North Carolina | Jeanne Wofford | Forest City | | | | |
| Ohio | Violet Berze | Steubenville | | | | |
| Oklahoma | Ada Martyne Wood | Oklahoma City | | | Top 15 | |
| Philadelphia | Frances Marie Burke | Philadelphia | | Vocal/Dance, "I Can't Love You Anymore" | Winner | |
| South Carolina | Vanadora Baker | Dillon | | Recitation | | |
| St. Louis | LeFern Mueller | St. Louis | | | | |
| Tennessee | Christine Webb | Centerville | | Dramatic Monologue, "The Waltz" | | |
| Texas | Gloria Ann Byrns | Port Arthur | | Tap Dance & Baton Twirling | | |
| Virginia | Virginia Campbell | Charlottesville | | | | |
| Washington | Peggy Mason | Tacoma | | | | |
| West Virginia | Mary Schlarmann Bowles | Montgomery | | | | |
| Westchester County | Constantine Gray | Yonkers | | | | |
| Western Kentucky | Violet Owen | | | | | |
| Western New York | Gloria Elizabeth Sheehan | Buffalo | | | | |
| Western Pennsylvania | Alberta Louise Carts | Pittsburgh | | | Top 15 | |