Jules S. Bacon, 89; was Mr. America in 1943

YORK, Pa. - Jules S. Bacon, 89, who won the Mr. America bodybuilding competition in 1943, died Saturday at his home here after years of declining health.

When Mr. Bacon won the Amateur Athletic Union's Mr. America title, he worked for York Barbell Co., which employed many bodybuilders. He was featured on the covers of several magazines in the 1940s and '50s, and regularly wrote for the magazine Strength & Health.

He later worked at York International, a manufacturer of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration units, and gyms called the Jules Bacon Health Clubs.

He was inducted into the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Hall of Fame last year.

Born in Philadelphia in 1917, Mr. Bacon began weight training at age 20 and placed second in the 1941 Mr. America contest.

"This was an exciting time," he wrote in the forward to Strongman: Vintage Photos of a Masculine Icon by Robert Mainardi. "I spent most of 1942 visiting Philadelphia schools with Jesse Owens, the Olympic champion."

Bacon's son Jules E. Bacon was born more than 15 years after his father's Mr. America fame. "To me, he was just a regular person. He was always taking care of me," Jules E. Bacon said.

Bacon's daughter, Marian Painter, said he was a fun and caring father who was always bringing animals home to become family pets. "I knew he was a bodybuilder and had been Mr. America," she said. "It was just separate from our lives."

Bacon also is survived by another son, Robert K. Bacon, three grandchildren, and a brother.