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 Tribute to Mrs. Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1946-10-22
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0085
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
The Negro Soldier: A Tribute to Mrs. Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0085
The Negro Soldier: A Tribute to Unsung Heroes
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0081
The Negro Soldier: Address by Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0024
The Negro Soldier: Address by Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1946-03-18
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0024
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
The "Negro" Soldier: Central News Report
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_2_0011
The Negro Soldier: Congressional Remarks and Correspondence
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0093
The Negro Soldier: Congressional Report Request
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0032
The Negro Soldier Distribution List
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_2_0024
The Negro Soldier Manuscript: A Letter Exchange
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0052