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:
Housewife Turned Congresswoman: The Fight Against High Prices, 1950-06-01
Item — Box: 164, Folder: 33
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_164_33_0020
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Important Correspondence for Mr. Julian Wadleigh
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_2_0013
In Defense of Civil Liberties: The Fight Against Un-American Activities, 1947-11-18
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0041
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
In Honor of Our Veterans: Jesse Palmer Post No. 1068
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0075
Inquiry about Report on the Negro in the War
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0061
Inquiry about 'the History of the American Negro' - Letter to Representative Helen Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0060
Inquiry for Articles on Social Justice for the Negro
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0028
Inquiry on the Record of African American Soldiers in World War II
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0080
Inquiry Regarding General Prisoner Roland Clark
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_29_3_0001
Inspiring Words: A Letter of Thanks from Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0011