| Miss USA 1956 | |
|---|---|
Miss USA 1956 Carol Morris | |
| Date | July 18, 1956 |
| Presenters | Bob Russell |
| Venue | Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California |
| Entrants | 43 |
| Winner | Carol Morris Iowa |
Miss USA 1956 was the 5th Miss USA pageant, held on July 18, 1956, at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California. From the 43 contestants Miss Iowa USA, Carol Morris, won the competition and later became Miss Universe. She became the first contestant from Iowa to win the Miss USA competition. She was crowned by Miss USA 1955, Carlene King Johnson of Vermont.
One of the runners-up, Charlene Holt of Maryland, became an actress, appearing on television series and in films including El Dorado with John Wayne.
| Final results | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss USA 1956 | |
| 1st Runner-Up | |
| 2nd Runner-Up |
|
| 3rd Runner-Up |
|
| 4th Runner-Up |
|
| Top 15 |
|
The Miss USA 1956 delegates were:
Arizona – Maija Bertulson
Arkansas – Nancy McCollum
California – Shirlee Witty
Colorado – Karen Keeler
Connecticut – Dorothy Bailey
Delaware – Sandra McCabe
District of Columbia – Joanne Holler
Florida – Kim Meyer
Georgia – Mary Ruff
Illinois – Muriel Blair
Indiana – Beverly Mattox Iowa – Carol Morris
Louisiana – Cecile Morris
Maryland – Charlene Holt
Massachusetts – Elaine Murphy
Michigan – Barbara Sias
Minnesota – Marilyn Johnson
Missouri – Carol Thrower
Nebraska – Shari Lewis
Nevada – Marley Sanderson
New Hampshire – Rita Leclerc
New Jersey – Dolores Winfield
New Mexico – Jackie Brown
New York – Kay Douglas
North Carolina – Shirley Bagwell
North Dakota – Mary Harroun
Ohio – Eleanor Wood
Oregon – Maralyn Turner
Pennsylvania – Serena Kifer
Philadelphia – Miriam Uniman
Rhode Island – Sandra Vozella
South Carolina – Betty Cherry
St. Louis – Diana Stopke
Tennessee – Stella Wilson
Texas – Jo Dobson
Utah – Cheryl Brown
Vermont – Dolores Wettack
Virginia – Audra Stark
Washington – June Svedin
West Virginia – Janet Cardi
Wisconsin – Priscilla Perkins
Wyoming – Marilyn Scott
