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:
The Democratic Party: A Commitment to Freedom and The American People
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0008
The Democratic Plan for a Brighter Future: Helen Gahagan Douglas at the I.L.G.W.U. Rally - Labor Temple, November 2, 1944, 1944-11-02
Item — Box: 4, Folder: 37
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.10_4_37_0009
Overview
78th (1943-1945)
The Employment Assistance Act of 1950: Addressing Unemployment in California and Beyond, 1950-02-27
Item — Box: 171, Folder: 3
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_171_3_0010
The Fight Against Un-American Activities, 1947-11-28
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0060
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
The Fight Against Un-American Activities: A Call for Freedom of Speech, 1947-11-14
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0020
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
The Fight Against Un-American Activities: A Letter of Support, 1947-11-05
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0001
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
The Fight for Democracy: A Soldier's Perspective
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0051
The Fight for Democracy: Excerpts from Helen Gahagan Douglas's Speech, 1950-04-11
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_9_0005
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
The Fight for Labor Rights: Helen Gahagan Douglas' Speech on the Repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, 1949-04-27
Item — Box: 171, Folder: 3
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_171_3_0024
The Fight for Price Control: A Call to Action, 1946-06-25
Item — Box: 5, Folder: 1
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.10_5_1_0011
Overview
79th (1945-1947)