Helen Gahagan Biography

Fast Facts

• Was the first Democratic woman to be elected to Congress from California, and only the third overall
• Started out as a stage actress who appeared on Broadway during the 1920s and 1930s
• Became involved in politics in the late 1930s, supporting the New Deal, accompanying First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on a visit to migrant workers in California, and singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Democratic National Convention
• Toured Europe as a singer of German and Italian opera during the late 1920s
• Appeared in only one film, the 1935 science fiction movie "She," during her acting career, spending the rest of her time on the stage
• Best known as an actress and liberal politician who campaigned against Richard Nixon in the 1950 California Senate race
• Was elected to Congress in 1944 and later won a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee