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 Manuscript: A Letter Exchange, 1946-04-30
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0052
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
The Negros' Park in World War II: Request for Copies
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0040
The Negros' Park in World War II: Request for Copies, 1946-01-28
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0040
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
The Obligation of Women in The 1944 Election: War Or Peace?
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0014
The Quest for the 'Negro Soldier': A Letter to Hon. Helen M. Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0075
The Role of Colored Troops in War: A Historical Perspective
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_2_0023
The Role of The Negro Soldier in World War II
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0049
The Untold History: Negro Servicemen in World War II
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0029
The Untold History: Negro Servicemen in World War II, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0029
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
The Women's Army for National Defense: A Letter of Congratulations
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_1_0053