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:
Motion of Thanks to California Representatives for Opposing Un-American Activities Committee, 1947-12-26
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0082
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Mount Holyoke College invites Helen Gahagan Douglas to Women in Politics Symposium.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0021
Moving Forward with President Roosevelt: The Democratic Plan for a Better America, 1944-11-02
Item — Box: 4, Folder: 37
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.10_4_37_0008
Overview
78th (1943-1945)
Mrs. Helen Douglas declines invitation to lecture at Sweet Briar College.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0030
Mrs. Sheridan confirms speaking engagement, offers transportation, dinner, and compliments.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0018
Ms. Douglas declines speaking invitation at University of Tennessee Law Week Symposium.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0017
NACFL lacks funds, NSF provides support, meeting scheduled, counsel needed.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0006
NACFL supports farm workers through organizing, advocacy, and services.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0005
National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor discusses membership, issues, and NLRA coverage.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0002
National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor faces financial constraints and staffing shortages, but remains committed to their mission.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0004