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 267 Collections and/or Records:
Helen Gahagan Douglas Collection
Collection
Identifier: CAC-CC-014
Scope and Contents
The Douglas Collection covers the former congresswoman's life from her early stage career until her death in 1980. Because the bulk of the materials document her years in Congress, the collection is especially rich in covering events and issues central to the immediate post-World War II era. Due to her service on the Foreign Affairs Committee, there is a large amount of material on the earliest years of the Cold War and the establishment of the new world order. Other topics of note include the...
Dr. Taylor urges President Nixon to uphold water distribution laws.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_53_0012
Empowering the World: Northwestern College's Commitment to Training Skilled Individuals
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0065
Entitlement of Benefits for Dependents of Enlisted Men
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.1_13_18_0012
Eugene V. Debs Foundation hosts award dinner with notable guests.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0024
George C. Marshall Research Foundation hosts reception to honor Marshall Plan.
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.12_9_24_0032
Gratitude for Advocacy: A Letter to Rep Helen Gahagan Douglas, 1946-01-01 - 1946-12-31
Item — Box: 22, Folder: 9
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0039
Overview
79th (1945-1947)
Gratitude for Advocacy: A Letter to Rep Helen Gahagan Douglas
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_22_9_0039
Helen Gahagan Douglas: Championing Freedom and Choosing A Leader for A Better World
Digital item
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_5_151_1_0010
Helen Gahagan Douglas Committee: Representing the 14th District of California in Foreign Affairs, 1946-01-01 - 1947-12-31
Item — Box: 23, Folder: 2
Identifier: CAC_CC_014_2.2_23_2_0016
Overview
79th (1945-1947)