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 511 Collections and/or Records:
Helen Gahagan Douglas: A Quandary in Politics, 1950-01-01 - 1950-12-31
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 10
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_10_0043
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Helen Gahagan Douglas: A Vision for California and the Nation, 1950-05-14
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_9_0033
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Helen Gahagan Douglas' Attendance Record in the 79th, 80th, and 81st Congresses, 1950-01-01 - 1950-12-31
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 2
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_2_0013
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Helen Gahagan Douglas: Championing Freedom and Choosing A Leader for A Better World
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0010
Helen Gahagan Douglas Committee: Representing the 14th District of California in Foreign Affairs
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_2_0016
Helen Gahagan Douglas' Critique of the Un-American Activities Committee, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 27, Folder: 6d
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_27_6d_0002
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Helen Gahagan Douglas declines commencement speech but may send telegram.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0028
Helen Gahagan Douglas declines invitation to communication course.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0031
Helen Gahagan Douglas: Voting Record on Selected Issues in the 79th Congress (1945-1945), 1950-01-01 - 1950-12-31
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 2
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_2_0009
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Helen Gahagan Douglas: Voting Record on Un-American Activities, Foreign Policy, Internal Security, and National Defense, 1950-01-01 - 1950-12-31
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 8
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_8_0002
Overview
81st (1949-1951)