This is a list of women who have been particularly honored at the Veiled Prophet Ball in St. Louis, Missouri, as either belle or queen.

Origin

The custom of singling out a young woman for special attention began with the first Veiled Prophet Ball in 1878, when Suzanne (Susie) Slayback was chosen by the first Veiled Prophet, John G. Priest, to be the "belle" of the ball at the age of 16. According to a 1958 article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, in those earlier times it was "the custom of the Prophet to select a girl for his partner in the first dance at the ball."Walter E. Orthwein, "Idea for VP Festival Came Out of Meeting in Old Lindell Hotel," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 7, 1958, image 34"Belle of First Ball Tells How She Felt," St. Louis Globe-Democrat,October 7, 1958, image 39

The first crowned "queen" was Hester Bates Laughlin in 1894, whose coiffure was topped with a headpiece supposedly a replica of that worn by Queen Victoria.

The Veiled Prophet honorees have been:

Belles

1878–1893 1878 Susie Slayback"Belle of First Ball Tells How She Felt," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 7, 1958, image 39 1885 Virginia JoyMarguerite Martyn, "The Veiled Prophet's Early Visits to His City," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 7, 1931, image 30 1886 Louise (Lulu) Scott 1887 No honoree due to visit of President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland"Prophet at First Chose a Dancing Partner at Ball," The St. Louis Star, September 30, 1915, image 22 1888 Louise Galennie 1889 Miss Wain (from Cleveland)"The Prophet's Pageant," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 9, 1889, p. 9 1890 Katherine (Kate) Hill 1891 July Thompson 1892 Ellen Sturges 1893 Florence Lucas"Gossip About People," St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, October 4, 1893, image10

Queens 1894–1900 1894 Hester Bates Laughlin "List of Queens Chosen by the Veiled Prophet Since 1894," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 6, 1915 1895 Bessie Kingsland 1896 Mary Louise McCreery 1897 Jane Dorothy Fordyce 1898 Marie Theresa Scanlan 1899 Ellen H. Walsh 1900 Susan Larkin Thomson

1901–1950 1901 Emily Catlin Wickham 1902 Maud Wells 1903 Lucille Chouteau 1904 Stella Wade 1905 Julia Cabanne 1906 Marguerite Kehlor Tower 1907 Margaret Cabell 1908 Dorothy Shapleigh 1909 Susan Rebecca Carleton 1910 Lucy Norvell 1911 Ada Randolph 1912 Jane Taylor 1913 Adaline Capen"Adaline Capen's Red Hair Reveals Her as V.P. Queen," The New St. Louis Star, October 8, 1913, image 1 1914 Elsa Zeibig"Elsa Zeibig Is Crowned Queen at Ball of V.P., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 7, 1914, image 1 1915 Jane Shapleigh"Former Queens Summoned by Veiled Prophet," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 18, 1960, image 111 1916 Mary D. Jones"Veiled Prophet's Ball a Brilliant Community Fete," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 4, 1916, image 3 1917–1918 (No ball because of World War I)Foster Eaton, "The Veiled Prophet Comes to St. Louis Again!" St. Louis Star-Times, October 4, 1946, image 21 1919 Marian Franciscus"Gowns Worn at V.P. Ball Remarkable for Their Splendor," St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, October 6, 1920, image 3 1920 Ada Johnson"8000 Attend Ceremony at Coliseum," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 6, 1920, image 1 1921 Eleanor Simmons 1922 Alice Busch"Miss Alice Busch, New Queen of Prophet's Court, Fond of Outdoor Sports," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 4, 1923, image 3 1923 Grace Wallace"Four Debut Parties Give Added Gaiety to Unusually Busy Week," The St. Louis Star November 10, 1923, image 7 1924 Mary Virginia Collins"Queen of the Veiled Prophet's Ball," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 9, 1924, image 1 1925 Maud Miller Streett"Social Activities," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 27, 1925, image 21 1926 Martha Irene Love 1927 Anne Semple 1928 Mary Ambrose Smith (disqualified due to secret marriage) 1929 Jean Ford 1930 Jane Francis 1931 Ann Ferriss 1932 Myrtle Lambert 1933 Jane Johnson 1934 Jane Wells 1935 Lila Childress 1936 Susan Thompson 1937 Nancy Morrill 1938 Laura Rand 1939 Jane Smith 1940 Rosalie McRee 1941 Barbara Wear 1942–1945 (No ball because of World War II)"Veiled Prophet Ball, Parade, Canceled," St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 4, 1945, image 1 1946 Anne Kennett Desloge 1947 Dorothy Danforth 1948 Sally Rubicam 1949 Carol Gardner 1950 Eleanor Koehler

1951–2000

1951 Mary Kennard Wallace 1952 Sally Shepley 1953 Julia Terry 1954 Barbara Whittemore 1955 Audrey Wallace 1956 Helene Bakewell 1957 Carol Culver 1958 Carolyn Niedringhaus 1959 Laura Rand OrthweinEdward A. Higgins, "Miss Laura Rand Orthwein Crowned Veiled Prophet Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 7, 1959, image 1 1960 Sally Ford Curby"Veiled Prophet Queen Bows In," The Kansas City Times, October 4, 1961, image 17 1961 Anne Marie Baldwin 1962 Diane Waring DeslogeJane Allen Connett, "Festive Parties on Holiday Calendar, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 5, 1962, image 18 1963 Anne Kennard Newhard"Miss Anne Newhard Crowned Queen in Glittering Ceremony," September 28, 1963, image 1 1964 Alice Busch CondieAssociated Press, "Reigns in St. Louis," The Kansas City Times, October 3, 1964, image 1 1965 Becky Wells JonesAssociated Press, "Ladue Girl Crowned Veiled Prophet Queen," Moberly (Missouri) Monitor-Index, October 2, 1965, image 3 1966 Jane Howard Shapleigh"Veiled Prophet Crowns Queen," The Register-News, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, October 1, 1966, image 2 1967 Rosalie McRee Ewing 1968 Rebecca Dixon WilliamsAssociated Press, "Ladue Girl Queen of St. Louis Ball," St. Joseph (Missouri) News-Press, September 28, 1968, image 1 1969 Josephine Carr BrodheadJoan Foster Dames, "Josephine Carr Broadhead Is Veiled Prophet Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 5, 1969, image 31 1970 Phoebe Mercer ScottAssociated Press, "Veiled Prophet Ball Queen From Clayton," Springfield (Missouri) Leader and Press, December 22, 1970, image 25 1971 Lenita Collins MorrillCarter Stith, "Lenita Collins Morrill is Veiled Prophet Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 1971, image 28 1972 Hope Florence Jones 1973 Susan Mitchell ConantElaine Viets, "The VP Queen's Supper," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 1973, image 63 1974 Susan Clark Smith"Susan C. Smith Named Queen at VP Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 21, 1974, image 1 1975 Sarah Hitchcock Moore"Sarah Moore Is VP Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 24, 1975, image 3 1976 Cynthia Gray DanforthGay Pauley, "Coming-Out Parties Are Back In Style," The Herald, Chicago, Illinois, January 26, 1977, image 17 1977 Gertrude Marie BuschJohn M. McGuire, "Gertrude Marie Busch Crowned Queen at Veiled Prophet Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 1977, image 3 1978 Elizabeth Courtney JohnsonPhotos by Robert C. Holt III, "Veiled Prophet's Court of Love and Beauty," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 14, 1979, image 47 1979 Susan Pierson Smith 1980 Eleanor Church Hawes"Student Takes Up Reign as VP Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 22, 1980, image 15 1981 Talbot Peters MacCarthy"Fashions Become More Formal, Glamorous in 1981," The Tribune, Scranton, Pennsylvania, image 11 1982 Alice Margaret MaritzPatricia Rice, "Santa Claus Shares Limelight With Veiled Prophet at Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 1983, image 29 1983 Elizabeth Ford Johnston 1984 Mary Genevieve Hyland 1985 Jennifer Lee KnightPatricia Rice, "The Veiled Prophet Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 22, 1985, image 31 1986 Stephanie Marie SchnuckEllen Futterman, "An Evening of Love and Beauty," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 22,, 1986, image 55 1987 Emily Shepley BarksdaleGeorgia Sauer, "A Beauty of a Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 21, 1987, image 51 1988 Elizabeth Gray ElliottPatricia Corrigan, "A Beauty of a Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 24, 1988, image 33 1989 Alice Marie BehanEllen Futterman, "Snow Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 26, 1980, image 59 1990 Carter Gedge Walker 1991 Katherine Hall McDonnellJerry Berger, "Keeping the Ball Rolling," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 26, 1991, image 59 1992 Kelly Crawford Taylor 1993 McKay Noland Baur"McKay Noland Baur, 20, crowned VP Ball Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 24, 1993, image 2 1994 Margaret "Molly" Dunne HagerJoan Foster Dames, "Maids Presented to Veiled Prophet," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 1, 1995, image 127 1995 Martha Elizabeth "Marka" Matthews"96th Queen Reigns at Annual VP Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 1995, image 2 1996 Elizabeth Ann Bryan"There She Is," St. Louiis Post-Dispatch, December 22, 1996, image 55 1997 Rosalie "Lele" Ewing EnglerJoan Foster Dames, "New Veiled Prophet Queen Is Crowned; Her Mother and Grandmother Also Held the Title," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 21, 1997, image 52]Joan Foster Dames, "Veiled Prophet Gala Transforms Ballroom Into Throne Room," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 24, 1997, image 35 1998 Josephine Marie CondieJoan Foster Dames, "Jodie Condie Reigns as Queen of the Court at Veiled Prophet Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 20, 1998, image 36 1999 Elizabeth Claire KemperPrinceton Freshman Is the '99 Veiled Prophet Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 24, 1999, image 2 2000 Carolyn Elizabeth Schnuck"Carolyn E. Schnuck Is Crowned Queen at Veiled Prophet Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 24, image 34

2001 and after 2001 Julia Ryerson SchlaflyJerry Berger, "Julia Schlafly Is Crowned Queen at Veiled Prophet Ball at Adam's Mark," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 2001, image 2 2002 Lucy Hager SchnuckJerry Berger, "Well-Dressed Wag Lifts the Veil Off the VIPs at the Ball St. Louis Still Loves," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 22, 2002, image 2 2003 Lauren Morgan Dorsey Thomas"VP Queen's Crown Shines Brightly on a Gilded Evening," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 21, 2003 2004 Elizabeth Garrett Benoist"Queen of Love, Beauty," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 2005, p. C001 2005 Julie Anne Stupp"Colgate Student Is Crowned Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 2006, p. A011 2006 Janice Hope Jones 2007 Katherine Remington Martin 2008 Elizabeth Bunn Hailand"For Veiled Prophet, a New Queen, Again," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 21, 2008, p. D015 2009 Melissa Benton Howe 2010 Laura Hogan HolloRhonda Weiche, Ladue-Frontenac Patch, December 23, 2011 2011 Eleanor Clark Brennan"Sophomore Crowned at St. Louis' Veiled Prophet Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, cited by DePauw University 2012 Margaret Frances SchnuckTim Townsend, "New Queen Crowned at the 128th Annual Veiled Prophet Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 2012, p. A002 2013 Katherine Falk DeslogeKavita Kumar, "Katherine Desloge of Ladue Is New Queen of Love and Beauty," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 22, 2013 2014 Merrill Clark Hermann"Hermann Is Queen at Veiled Prophet Ball," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 21, 2014, p. A003 2015 Charlotte Capen Jones"Digest," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 2015, p. A003 2016 Eliza Dooley JohnsonBlythe Bernhard, "Fun Mix of Quirky, Traditional," St. Louis Post-Dispatch July 2, 2017, p. A15 2017 Corinne Marie Condie"Digest," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 2017, p. A03 2018 Cecelia Ann Fox"Veiled Prophet Ball Names Its Newest Queen," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 23, 2018, p. A6 2019 Lily Shelton Baur 2020 postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri 2021 2022 Lily Shelton Baurhttps://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/veiled-prophet-symbol-of-wealth-power-and-to-some-racism/collection_8076f8b4-98a5-5935-9b57-134bcda6068e.html 2023 2024

See also

List of Veiled Prophet Parade themes

References

Further reading

Marguerite Martyn, "The Veiled Prophet's Early Visits to His City," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 7, 1931, image 30 ("A Former Queen of Love and Beauty Returns to the Scene of Her Triumph and Recalls the Origin of Many of the Pageant's Customs.")