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 Future Course of Our Nation and the World: A Call to Action, 1950-09-06
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_9_0013
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_2_0009
The Importance of a Steam Power Plant for Central Valley, 1949-10-06
Item — Box: 172, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_172_9_0027
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
The Importance of Diplomacy: Hon. Helen Gahagan Douglas on Spain and the European Recovery Program, 1948-04-01
Item — Box: 171, Folder: 3
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_171_3_0003
The Importance of Electing Franklin Roosevelt Once Again President of The United States
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0011
The Importance of Freedom and Choice in Elections
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0007
The Importance of Freedom and Leadership in A Nation
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0019
The Importance of Freedom and Leadership in The 1944 Election
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0017
The Importance of Freedom and Leadership in Times of War: A Call to Choose Wisely
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0018
The Importance of Social Security and Pension Legislation, 1949-10-05
Item — Box: 170, Folder: 7
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_170_7_0007
Overview
81st (1949-1951)