Douglas, Helen Gahagan, 1900-1980
Person
Biographical:
Helen Gahagan Douglas (1900-1980) began her professional career on the Broadway stage and was deemed a "star" at age twenty-two. By the 1930s, she left the Northeast and moved to California with her husband, Hollywood actor Melvyn Douglas. Although she made only one movie herself--the science fiction film, She--she soon found herself immersed in politics. She worked with the Farm Security Administration and later was elected Democratic National Committeewoman from California. In 1944, she was elected as the representative of California's Fourteenth District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was successfully reelected to this position in 1946 and 1948. A tireless New Deal Democrat, Douglas was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and served as an alternate delegate to the General Assembly of the United Nations. In 1950, she opposed Richard M. Nixon in the general election for the U.S. Senate. The campaign was especially brutal with the Republicans quite "liberal" in their charges that Douglas was a communist. Nixon easily won the election. Though Douglas never entered the political fray again, she remained a tireless public speaker and activist.
Found in 12 Collections and/or Records:
Letter of Appreciation for Representative Helen Gahagan Douglas's Stand for Equality, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0100
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Letter of Approval: A Soldier's Response to a Speech, 1946-01-01 - 1947-12-31
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0037
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Letter of Support for Helen Douglas' Speech on the Role of Negro in the War Effort, 1946-01-01 - 1947-12-31
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0019
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Negro Heroism Praised by Calif. Lawmaker, 1946-02-01
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0048
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Recognition of African American Service Men in Congress, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0088
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Request for a Copy of Speech on the Role of the Negro Soldier in War, 1946-01-01 - 1947-12-31
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0038
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Request for Material on the Negro Soldier: Correspondence from Mrs. Mamie Gladdish, 1946-01-01 - 1947-12-31
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0018
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Resolution for Restoring Veterans' Benefits, 1946-10-09
Item — Box: 13, Folder: 18
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0007
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Resolution Regarding Veterans' Benefits, 1946-10-31
Item — Box: 13, Folder: 18
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0009
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
The Correspondence of Ernest Kirschten with Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1946-02-06
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0046
Overview
79th (1945-1947)