Arizona sun., 1947-03-14
Women In Congress
HELEN DOUGLAS
OF CALIFORNIA
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tBy Edith Clay
WaShinptOn

OF the seven women IN the SOth
Congress, Helen Gahagan Douglas
is the prettiest, the most talented,
the best dresSed-and, incidentally,
the most progressive.
One of the few liberal members
of Congress to be reelected against
strong Republican opposition, she
plans to introduce a Fair Employ
ment Practices Commission bill, an
anti-polltax bill and a bill to set
up an international foundation for
cancer research so that informa-
ton on the subject can be ex-
changed internationally - as well
as to continue work on the Foreign
Affairs Committee. She will also
go on with her work on the United
Nations. A very busy lady, indeed.
Mrs. Douglas, born in Boonton,
N. j., on November 25, 1900, enter
ed politics fairly late, after re-
markable and varied career. After
a couple of years at Columbia, she
began to work in the theater,
playing with Henry Hull in "Man-
haitian" in 1922.
OPERA, TOO
She appeared in a large number
of plays, including especially, John
Van Druten's young Woodley,"
with Glenn Hunter, several musi-
Gals, among which was "The Cat
and the Fiddle" one of Jerome
Kern's big hits, and finally, her last
play, "Stars Remain" in 1896.
In 1885, she did a movie or two,
then sang in opera in San Francis
co. She gave concerts throughout
Europe in 1928 to 1880, and again
in 1887.
When starring in Tonight or
Never" in 1881, she married her
leading man, one Melvyn Douglas,
later to become one of the top
movie stars. They have two chill
dren, a boy and a girl.
ENTERS POLITICS
Mrs. Douglas political activities
officially began in 1889, although
she had been active in raising funds
for Loyalist Spain, in the League
Against War and FaScism, and SIM
liar campaigns, for some time. In
1889, however, she was appointed
to the National Advisory Commit
tee of the WPA, and later to the
California State Advisory Commit
tee of National Youth Administra-
ton.
The next year, she was elected a
Democratic National Committee
woman from California, becoming
vice-chairman of the Democratic
State Central Committee. In 1941,
she became member of the board
of governors of the California
Housing and Planning Association.
After brisk campaign, she was
elected to Congress from the 18th
California district in the 18th Con-
gresS, and is still serving i'm the
8Oth Congress.
In the early days of her term,
she weathered a battle with Clare
Booth Luce, which she handled
with great dignity, as she has
handled all other onslaughts, even
in the case of her withdrawal from
over the Palestinian stand
on the British loan. Her work as
Delegate to the United Nations has
been carried on with great dignity
and sanity.
GOOD RECORD
Her record has been pretty con-
Sistently progressive. She has taken
a continuously good, militant, stand
on the treatment of atomic energy,
backing the original MacMahon
bill, has steadfastly argued for
Soviet friendship and
urged the recall of United States
troops from China.
She worked extremely hard to
have a Negro appointed to West
Point, and offered a bill to with !
hold tax exemption from Constitu- |
ton Hall, after the refusal of the !
OAR to allow Hazel Scott to play |!
there.
ROSE AMONG THORNS'
She has loudly and courageouSly |
denounced red-baiting in Congress
and elsewhere, and has fought hard |