Found this
In the span of 11 months, from June 1939 to May 1940, three men were awarded the title of Mr. America, and each has defenders who claim he was the “first” AATJ Mr. A. The trail to finding out who really got there first is not as easily trod as simply examining the chronology of events, which occurred as follows: On June 10, 1939, Bert Goodrich won. On July 4, 1939, Roland Essmaker won. On May 25, 1940, John Grimek won.
By sifting through the records, we can determine the rightful titleholder and discount the others. And therein lies the tale. The fact is, Goodrich’s victory took place at an event that was called America’s Best Physique Contest, and it was held in Amsterdam, New York. The important point here is that this contest allowed professionals to compete against amateurs. Thus, the AAU, which stands for Amateur Athletic Union, did not stage the contest nor did it sanction it. This negates the claim that Bert was the first AAU Mr. America.
http://www.fitflex.com/rolandessmaker.html