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{{short description|American beauty pageant contestant and activist}}
[[Image:VenusRamey.jpg|thumb|right|Venus Ramey addressing gun rights activists after being presented CCRKBA's Gun Rights Defender of the Month for June 2007 ]]
{{Infobox person
|name = Venus Ramey
|image = VenusRamey.jpg
|image_size =
|alt =
|caption = Venus Ramey in 2007
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date|1924|9|26}}
|birth_place = [[Somerset, Kentucky]], US
|death_date = {{death date and age|2017|6|17|1924|9|26}}
|death_place = [[Agoura Hills, California]], US
|occupation = [[tobacco farming|Tobacco farmer]], activist
|title = [[Miss America 1944]]
⚫
|predecessor = [[Jean Bartel]]
⚫
|successor = [[Bess Myerson]]
|party =
|spouse = {{marriage|Joseph H. Murphy, Jr.|1948}}
|children = 2
}}


'''Venus Ramey Murphy''' (September 26, 1924 – June 17, 2017) was an American beauty pageant contestant, and later an activist. She won the [[Miss America]] competition in [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]], on September 9, 1944.
'''Venus Ramey''' (b. September 26, 1924, [[Ashland, Kentucky]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.johnsoncountykyhistory.com/people/RS.html |title=Johnson County History... and That's a Fact |accessdate=2007-04-20}}</ref>) was [[Miss America]] in [[1944]], and was the first red-haired contestant to win the title.<ref name=missamerica>{{cite web | url= http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1940/1944.asp | title= Miss America History 1944 | accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref>


==Early life==
Ramey competed as [[Miss District of Columbia]] and worked during her reign to help win suffrage for [[Washington D.C.]] in 1945. Later, she became the first Miss America to run for public office, seeking a seat in the [[Kentucky House of Representatives]].<ref name=missamerica />
Ramey was born in [[Somerset, Kentucky]], to Evalena (née Brown; 1889–1967) and John Coons Ramey (1887–1970).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johnsoncountykyhistory.com/people/RS.html|title=Johnson County History... and That's a Fact |access-date=2007-04-20}}</ref> She later left Kentucky to work for the war effort in [[Washington, DC]]. Through her [[patriline]], Ramey was distantly related to Country musicians [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Crystal Gayle]], [[Jay Lee Webb]], [[Peggy Sue (singer)|Peggy Sue]] and [[Patty Loveless]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}


==Pageants==
⚫
She was wooed by [[Hollywood]] in [[1947]], but disgusted with show business, she returned home to her Eubank Kentucky tobacco farm (which she has maintained for over fifty years) in Pulaski County Kentucky. She married and raised two sons.
She then won the [[Miss District of Columbia]] pageant and then became [[Miss America]] in 1944. She was the first Miss America to be photographed in color and also the first red-haired contestant to win the national title.<ref name=missamerica>{{cite web|url=http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1940/1944.aspx|title=Miss America History 1944|access-date=2006-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923040646/http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1940/1944.aspx|archive-date=2006-09-23}}</ref>


==Career==
⚫
In the 1970s, Ramey successfully campaigned to save [[Over-the-Rhine]], a neighborhood in [[Ohio]]. The neighborhood was eventually listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], and her work led her to make an unsuccessful bid for a spot on the [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]] City Council.<ref name=missamerica />
⚫
She was wooed by [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] in 1947, but dissatisfied with show business, she returned home to her [[Eubank, Kentucky]], tobacco farm (which she maintained for over 50 years) in [[Lincoln County, Kentucky]].


⚫
Ramey became the first Miss America to run for public office, seeking a seat in the [[Kentucky House of Representatives]].<ref name=missamerica/> In the 1970s, Ramey successfully campaigned to save [[Over-the-Rhine]], a neighborhood in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]]. The neighborhood was eventually listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], and her work led her to make an unsuccessful bid for a spot on the [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati City Council]].<ref name=missamerica/>
Ramey was critical of later Miss America winners [[Vanessa L. Williams]] (1984) and [[Kate Shindle]] (1998), calling the former a "[[slut]]" for posing nude in a photo shoot, and blasting the latter for her support of condom distribution in schools. (In an open letter to Shindle, Ramey charged "there is a name for girls who hand out condoms, and it isn't Miss America.")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cosmicbaseball.com/vanessa9.html |title=Vanessa Williams: Miss America 1984a |date=1999-09-09 |accessdate=2007-04-20}}</ref>


She was a tobacco farmer who, in 1999, unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit against the federal government for $300 billion for its anti-tobacco policies.<ref name="People people"/> She also was a write-in candidate for the 2000 presidential election.<ref name="People people"/>
⚫
In April 2007, Ramey confronted intruders who had entered a storage building on her farm where thieves had previously stolen equipment. She used a snub-nose .38 [[revolver]] to shoot out the tires on their pickup truck, then flagged down a car and had the driver call 911, holding the would-be-thieves until the sheriff arrived. "I didn't even think twice. I just went and did it," she said. "If they'd even dared come close to me, they'd be six feet under by now."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18237342/print/1/displaymode/1098 |title="Armed Miss America 1944 stops intruder" |date=April 20, 2007 |accessdate=2007-07-03}}</ref>


⚫
In April 2007, at age 82, Ramey confronted intruders who had entered a storage building on her Waynesburg, Kentucky farm where thieves had previously stolen equipment. She used a snub-nose .38 [[revolver]] to shoot out the tires on their pickup truck, then flagged down a car and had the driver call 911, holding the would-be thieves at gun-point until the sheriff arrived. "I didn't even think twice. I just went and did it", she said. "If they'd even dared come close to me, they'd be six feet under by now."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18237342|title=Armed Miss America 1944 stops intruder|date=April 20, 2007|access-date=2007-07-03}}</ref>
The resulting notoriety led to an appearance on the ''[[Tonight Show]]'' with [[Jay Leno]]. Asked how she had learned to use a gun, Ramey shot back, "I'm from Kentucky!" Leno then asked her opinion of President [[George W. Bush]], to which she replied, "I think he's a spoiled-brat rich kid that needs a spanking."

The Venus Ramey was also a famed WWII B-17, having flown 150 missions without being shot down.
== References ==
==Tributes==
In 1944, a [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] of the 15th Air Force, 301st bomb group was named the "Venus Ramey." This plane is reputed to be one of the longest-lived B-17s of the [[World War II|war]], having flown over 150 missions and survived the war. It was later scrapped.<ref>[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genbel/decnews09/venusramey.htm Excerpt from ''National Review''], freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com, May 14, 2007.</ref> There was also a [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24 Liberator]] bomber (42-52312) in the 454th bomb group named "MISS AMERICA '44" which flew 133 missions.<ref>B-24 Best Web http://www.b24bestweb.com/Pics-M-MISS_AA-MISS_AZ.htm</ref>

==Personal life==
She married Joseph Henry Murphy Jr. in 1948; the couple later divorced.<ref name="People people">{{cite web|first1=Michelle |last1=Tauber |first2=Mike |last2=Neill |first3=Lisa |last3=Russell |first4=Joanne|last4=Fowler |first5=Julie |last5=Dam |first6=Alex |last6=Tresniowski |first7=Samantha |last7=Miller |first8=Steve |last8=Dougherty |first9=Ting |last9=Yu |title= American Beauties: 80 Years |work= People |url=https://people.com/archive/american-beauties-80-years-vol-54-no-16/ |date=October 16, 2000}}</ref> Ramey raised two sons, Joseph Henry "Hank" Murphy III and Martin Wallace "Wally" Murphy, who survive her.<ref name=missamerica/>

Ramey died in an [[Agoura Hills, California]], hospice on June 17, 2017, at the age of 92. Her funeral was held at a Science Hill, Kentucky, funeral home on July 2, 2017, followed by burial at the Eubank Cemetery in Pulaski County, Kentucky.<ref>[https://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/?action=obituaries.obit_view&CFID=80e7b10c-f431-4789-93d9-3c6d02b304ce&CFTOKEN=0&o_id=4264868&fh_id=10640 Venus Ramey | 1924 - 2017 | Obituary]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{start box}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box|
{{succession box
⚫
before=[[Jean Bartel]]|
title=[[Miss America]]|
| before=[[Jean Bartel]]
| title=[[Miss America]]
years=1944|
| years=1944
⚫
after=[[Bess Myerson]]|
| after=[[Bess Myerson]]
}}
}}
{{end box}}
{{succession box
| before=Dixie Lou Rafter
| title=[[Miss District of Columbia|Miss Washington, D.C.]]
| years=1944
| after=Dorothy Powell
}}
{{s-end}}


{{MissAmericas 1940–1959}}
⚫
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramey, Venus}}
{{District of Columbia pageant winners}}
{{US-activist-stub}}
{{Authority control}}
{{pageant-bio-stub}}
{{Kentucky-stub}}


⚫
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramey, Venus}}
⚫
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:American activists]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
⚫
[[Category:Activists from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Farmers from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Miss America 1940s delegates]]
[[Category:Miss America Preliminary Talent winners]]
[[Category:Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners]]
[[Category:Miss America winners]]
[[Category:Miss America winners]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Cincinnati, Ohio]]
[[Category:People from Ashland, Kentucky]]
[[Category:People from Ashland, Kentucky]]
[[Category:People from Johnson County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:People from Lincoln County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Women in agriculture]]
⚫
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]
[[Category:American women farmers]]

Latest revision as of 03:10, 21 January 2024

Venus Ramey
Venus Ramey in 2007
Born(1924-09-26)September 26, 1924
Somerset, Kentucky, US
DiedJune 17, 2017(2017-06-17) (aged 92)
Agoura Hills, California, US
Occupation(s)Tobacco farmer, activist
TitleMiss America 1944
PredecessorJean Bartel
SuccessorBess Myerson
Spouse(s)
Joseph H. Murphy, Jr.
​
​
(m. 1948)​
Children2

Venus Ramey Murphy (September 26, 1924 – June 17, 2017) was an American beauty pageant contestant, and later an activist. She won the Miss America competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 9, 1944.

Early life[edit]

Ramey was born in Somerset, Kentucky, to Evalena (née Brown; 1889–1967) and John Coons Ramey (1887–1970).[1] She later left Kentucky to work for the war effort in Washington, DC. Through her patriline, Ramey was distantly related to Country musicians Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Jay Lee Webb, Peggy Sue and Patty Loveless.[citation needed]

Pageants[edit]

She then won the Miss District of Columbia pageant and then became Miss America in 1944. She was the first Miss America to be photographed in color and also the first red-haired contestant to win the national title.[2]

Career[edit]

She was wooed by Hollywood in 1947, but dissatisfied with show business, she returned home to her Eubank, Kentucky, tobacco farm (which she maintained for over 50 years) in Lincoln County, Kentucky.

Ramey became the first Miss America to run for public office, seeking a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives.[2] In the 1970s, Ramey successfully campaigned to save Over-the-Rhine, a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. The neighborhood was eventually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and her work led her to make an unsuccessful bid for a spot on the Cincinnati City Council.[2]

She was a tobacco farmer who, in 1999, unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit against the federal government for $300 billion for its anti-tobacco policies.[3] She also was a write-in candidate for the 2000 presidential election.[3]

In April 2007, at age 82, Ramey confronted intruders who had entered a storage building on her Waynesburg, Kentucky farm where thieves had previously stolen equipment. She used a snub-nose .38 revolver to shoot out the tires on their pickup truck, then flagged down a car and had the driver call 911, holding the would-be thieves at gun-point until the sheriff arrived. "I didn't even think twice. I just went and did it", she said. "If they'd even dared come close to me, they'd be six feet under by now."[4]

Tributes[edit]

In 1944, a B-17 of the 15th Air Force, 301st bomb group was named the "Venus Ramey." This plane is reputed to be one of the longest-lived B-17s of the war, having flown over 150 missions and survived the war. It was later scrapped.[5] There was also a B-24 Liberator bomber (42-52312) in the 454th bomb group named "MISS AMERICA '44" which flew 133 missions.[6]

Personal life[edit]

She married Joseph Henry Murphy Jr. in 1948; the couple later divorced.[3] Ramey raised two sons, Joseph Henry "Hank" Murphy III and Martin Wallace "Wally" Murphy, who survive her.[2]

Ramey died in an Agoura Hills, California, hospice on June 17, 2017, at the age of 92. Her funeral was held at a Science Hill, Kentucky, funeral home on July 2, 2017, followed by burial at the Eubank Cemetery in Pulaski County, Kentucky.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Johnson County History... and That's a Fact". Retrieved 2007-04-20.
  2. ^ a b c d "Miss America History 1944". Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  3. ^ a b c Tauber, Michelle; Neill, Mike; Russell, Lisa; Fowler, Joanne; Dam, Julie; Tresniowski, Alex; Miller, Samantha; Dougherty, Steve; Yu, Ting (October 16, 2000). "American Beauties: 80 Years". People.
  4. ^ "Armed Miss America 1944 stops intruder". April 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  5. ^ Excerpt from National Review, freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com, May 14, 2007.
  6. ^ B-24 Best Web http://www.b24bestweb.com/Pics-M-MISS_AA-MISS_AZ.htm
  7. ^ Venus Ramey | 1924 - 2017 | Obituary
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss America
1944 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Dixie Lou Rafter
 Miss Washington, D.C.
1944 		Succeeded by
Dorothy Powell
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Venus_Ramey&oldid=1197577829"