Keriman Halis Ece

Keriman Halis Ece (February 16, 1913 – January 28, 2012) was a Turkish beauty pageant titleholder, pianist, and fashion model who won the Miss Turkey 1932 title. She was also crowned Miss Universe 1932 in Spa, Belgium and thus became Turkey's first Miss Universe.

Biography

Of Ubykh Circassian origin, Keriman Halis was born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, as one of the six children of a merchant from Hacıosman, Manyas, Tevfik Halis Bey, in 1913. She grew up in a family with a religious background. During her childhood, her family lived in Fındıkzade, where she was surrounded by French nannies. Her grandfather was a sheikh al-Islam, an advisor to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V. According to the Atlanta Constitution, her grandfather was a conservative mighty religious man who kept her secluded from the public in a palace in order to hide her beauty from the public. Only as environment for women became more liberal following the establishment of Turkiye was she allowed to interact with the public with the consent of her grandfather. He father was approached several times in order to allow her to compete in beauty contests which he finally allowed in 1932. She participated in the 1932 Miss Turkiye beauty pageant which had been organized by the newspaper Cumhuriyet since 1929. She was elected the most beautiful Turkish woman in the contest held on July 2, 1932, in İstanbul among eight candidates.