Member-only story
The Beauty Queen Whose Husband Allegedly Tried To Sell Her For $2,000
In 1928, a famous former Miss America contestant made national headlines due to her sensational divorce
Marriage is an institution that’s supposed to be built on love, patience and mutual respect. Unfortunately, not all unions last because one or both of the partners can’t hold up their end of the deal. That certainly appeared to be the case a century ago when a well-known beauty queen sued her husband for divorce amid allegations that he attempted to sell her for $2,000.
Thelma Williams came to prominence in 1926 when she was crowned as the winner of that year’s Atlantic City beauty contestas Miss Pittsburgh. Initially, other members of the pageant tried to have her disqualified in the aftermath under the argument that she was not really from Pittsburgh. However, she was able to satisfy the organizers that she lived there long enough to meet their expectations. Her win stood and was allowed to compete in that year’s Miss America pageant, the sixth annual.
It wasn’t long after this that she secretly married Jesse Gray, a school teacher who had worked at the same school as her. The relationship doesn’t appear to have been a positive one, as she alleged that her husband was both jealous and ignorant. On top of…
