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 401 Collections and/or Records:
The Negro Soldier: A Historical Document
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0035
The Negro Soldier: A Letter from Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0066
The Negro Soldier: A Note of Thanks
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0063
The Negro Soldier: A Request for Copies
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0083
The Negro Soldier: A Request for Distribution
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0067
The Negro Soldier: A Request for Reprint
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0080
The Negro Soldier: A Request for Reprints
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0044
The Negro Soldier: A Request for Reprints, 1946-02-26
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0044
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
The Negro Soldier: A Speech by Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0056
The Negro Soldier: A Speech by Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1946-05-10
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0056
Overview
79th (1945-1947)