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 560 Collections and/or Records:
Supporting Helen Gahagan Douglas: A Call to Fellow Democrats, 1950-01-01 - 1950-01-01
Item — Box: 164, Folder: 33
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_164_33_0008
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Supporting Veterans: A Call for HR 6340
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0002
Survey 70-A: American Soldiers' Views on Germany and the War
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_29_1_0005
Teacher seeks guest speakers, including Mrs. Douglas, for political course.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0023
Telegram Urging Against Citation for Contempt of Congress of Hollywood Writers, 1947-01-01 - 1947-01-01
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0042
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Thank You for Standing Against Injustice, 1947-01-01 - 1947-01-01
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0071
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Thank You, Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas: A Letter of Appreciation from the American Veterans Committee, 1946-01-24
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0012
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Thank You, Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas: A Letter of Appreciation from the American Veterans Committee
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0012
Thank You Tribute to Congresswoman Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0026
The Battle for Helen Gahagan Douglas: A Crucial Campaign for Liberalism, 1950-01-01 - 1950-01-01
Item — Box: 173, Folder: 7
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_173_7_0024
Overview
81st (1949-1951)