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 139 Collections and/or Records:
Inquiry about Report on the Negro in the War, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0061
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Inquiry about 'the History of the American Negro' - Letter to Representative Helen Douglas, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0060
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Inquiry on the Record of African American Soldiers in World War II, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0080
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Invitation to cocktail reception and dinner at Waldorf-Astoria for Boston University Library's distinguished collected and friends.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0003
Invitation to Mrs. Douglas to discuss women's issues on EVERYWOMAN program.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0010
Israel Govt. Tourist Office to honor Rev. Karl Baehr, invite Ms. Douglas.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0015
Johns Hopkins and Goucher College request Helen Gahagan Douglass as keynote speaker for Women's Week.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0011
Johnson State College President invites Mrs. Helen Douglas to speak.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0029
LA World Affairs Council invites Helen Gahagan Douglas to discuss policy.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0006
Letter discusses contributions, farm labor issues, program for small farmers.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0010