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 560 Collections and/or Records:
Support for H.R. 6143: Incorporating the American Veterans of World War II, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 13, Folder: 18
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0005
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Support for Merchant Marine Veterans in the G.I. Bill of Rights
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0006
Support for Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas in the Fight for Civil Rights
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0004
Support for the Engle-Scudder Bill: A Call for Action in the Sacramento Valley, 1950-04-17
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_9_0031
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Support for the Sabath Resolution: A Letter from Mr. and Mrs. Hardin, 1947-11-24
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0062
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Support Helen Gahagan Douglas for U.S. Senator: A Letter from the Menlo Division of San Mateo Committee, 1950-01-01 - 1950-01-01
Item — Box: 164, Folder: 33
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_164_33_0016
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Supporting Civil Liberties: A Letter to Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1947-12-05
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0075
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Supporting Equality and Justice: A Letter to Congresswoman Douglas, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0009
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Supporting Equality and Justice: A Letter to Congresswoman Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0009
Supporting H. R. 6143: A Letter from Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0003