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 511 Collections and/or Records:
Call to Dissolve the House Un-American Activities Committee, 1947-11-05
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0009
Overview
80th (1947-1949)
Carrying Good News: Celebrating 50 Years of The American Newspapers
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0044
Challenges and Solutions for Older Workers: A Call to Action by Honorable Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1950-01-01 - 1950-12-31
Item — Box: 171, Folder: 3
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_171_3_0007
Challenging the Power of the Committee on Un-American Activities, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 27, Folder: 6d
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_27_6d_0001
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Champion of the Family: Congresswoman Douglas, 1950-01-01 - 1950-12-31
Item — Box: 164, Folder: 33
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_164_33_0001
Overview
81st (1949-1951)
Championing Equality: A Call for Understanding and Unity
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0033
Changes in Separation Criteria for Medical Department Officers
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_29_1_0009
City Center celebrates 30th anniversary, invites Helen Gahagan Douglas.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0007
Class of Service Symbols and Request for Action on Contempt Citations, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 74, Folder: 15
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_3.2_74_15_0011
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Class of Service Symbols for Western Telegrams and Cables
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0020