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 267 Collections and/or Records:
Our Negro Soldiers: Reprint in Washington News Digest, 1946-02-07
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0069
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Our Negro Soldiers: Reprint in Washington News Digest
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0069
Praise for Dr. Frank's dedication to service and belief in justice, fair play.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0011
Preserving the History of American Negro Service Members: A Thank You Letter to Representative Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0041
Preserving the Records: The Struggles and Dreams of a Civilian Nurse, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0037
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Preserving the Records: The Struggles and Dreams of a Civilian Nurse
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0037
Recognition and Appreciation: A Letter to Representative Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0068
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)
Recognition of African American Service Men in Congress
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0088
Recognition of Colored Soldiers in Congressional Record
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0097