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:
Commendation for Remarks on the Record of the Negro Soldier
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0039
Commendation for Remarks on the Record of the Negro Soldier, 1946-04-08
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0039
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Commending World Reneges War II Contributions
Digital Work
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0008
Comparing Candidates: Congressman Nixon vs. Mrs. Douglas, 1950-08-29
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 8
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_8_0005
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Comparing Congressional Voting Records: Douglas vs. Marcantonio, 1945-01-01
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 8
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_8_0004
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Comparing Congressional Voting Records: Douglas vs. Marcantonio, 1945-01-01
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 8
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_8_0011
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Comparing Congressman Nixon and Mrs. Douglas: The Clear Choice for U.S. Senator, 1950-08-29
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 2
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_2_0020
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Comparing the Records: Congressman Richard Nixon vs. Mrs. Douglas for U.S. Senator, 1950-08-29
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 8
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_8_0015
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Comparing Voting Records: Helin Gahagan Douglas vs. Richard Nixon (81st Congress, 1949-1950), 1950-01-01 - 1950-01-01
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 2
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_2_0008
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Concern for Helen Gahagan: A Letter from Carmel, 1953-04-28
Item — Box: 184, Folder: 6
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_6_184_6_0005
Overview
83rd (1953-1955)