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:
Preserving Liberty: Congresswoman Douglas Opposes Mundt-Nixon Bill, 1950-08-29
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_9_0030
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
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
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0037
Progress Update and Appreciation: Community Homes, Inc. - July 22, 1947, 1947-06-03
Item — Box: 48, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_48_9_0008
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Protecting Civil Rights: A Letter of Appreciation, 1947-11-28
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0074
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Protecting Women's Rights: The Equal Rights Amendment Debate, 1950-03-22
Item — Box: 171, Folder: 3
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_171_3_0032
Racial Progress and Realities: A Look Inside America, 1950-01-01 - 1950-12-31
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 7
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_7_0028
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Re-Establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps: A Proposal for a Sustainable Future, 1950-05-17
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_9_0029
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Re: General Prisoner Manuel J. Favela
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_29_3_0016
Recognition and Appreciation: A Letter to Representative Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0068