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:
Ruth invites Helen for lunch to discuss symposium, but Helen declines.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0019
Ruth invites Helen to a symposium on aging women's identity crisis.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0012
Senators seek to extend committee investigating hunger due to need for action.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0008
Speech: War Or Peace - The Importance of Women in The Election
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0015
Struggles for Discharge: The Case of Lt. John H. Esterline, 1945-12-20
Item — Box: 29, Folder: 3
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_29_3_0013
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Sue Lyman invites Helen G. Douglas to speak at Radcliffe Institute.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0020
Support for H.R. 6143: Incorporating the American Veterans of World War II
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0005
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