The 10th National Spelling Bee was held at the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on May 29, 1934.

Scripps-Howard The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by E. W. Scripps, Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a ...

would not sponsor the Bee until 1941. The winner was 12-year-old Sarah Wilson of

Gray, Maine Gray is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,269 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England c ...

, sponsored by the '' Portland Evening Express'', correctly spelling the word ''brethren''. She had also competed in the finals the prior year. James Wilson, age 13, of

Canton, Illinois Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,242 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 14,704 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The Canton Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

, placed second after misspelling ''deteriorating'', followed by Helen Sullivan, age 13, of Connecticut.(3 July 1999)
Maine speller advances in national competition
''Bangor Daily News''(8 June 1934)
12-Year-Old Girl Wins $1,000
''Nunda News'' (

Nunda, New York Nunda (pronounced "none-day") is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 3,064 at the 2010 census. Nunda welcomes visitors ...

) The prizes for the top three were $500, $300, and $100. The bee was broadcast on the radio, and when Sarah was asked if she had a message for her father, she responded on air "You remember Daddy, you promised me another $500 if I won first place!". She did say she wanted to use the money for college.Maguire, James
American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds
p. 71 (2006) Wilson (later married surname Garrett), graduated from Pennell Institute in her Maine hometown in 1938, the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

in 1941, and

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

in 1944. She worked in Washington, D.C., as an attorney for the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

for 41 years, retiring in 1986. She died in Maine on June 10, 1998.Town of Gray, Maine - History
graymaine.org, Retrieved 26 January 2018Sarah Wilson Garett (obituary)
Maine Obituaries, Retrieved 26 January 2018(6 June 1998)
Obituaries
''Washington Post'' As of 2017, she has been the only National Spelling Bee winner from Maine.(31 May 2001)
Speller
''Bangor Daily News'' "The last Mainer to win the national spelling bee was in 1934 when Sarah Wilson represented the Portland Evening Express".

References

{{Scripps National Spelling Bee Scripps National Spelling Bee competitions 1934 in education 1934 in Washington, D.C. May 1934 in the United States