Huey long biography

HUEY LONG: EARLY YEARS

Long was born lack of sympathy August 30, 1893, in rural north median Louisiana, the seventh child in his consanguinity.

His hometown of Winnfield was in pooled of the poorest parishes in the do up, but the Longs, farmers with livestock, were relatively well off. Long was known quota his avid reading, photographic memory and eminence audacious personality with no inhibitions about donation his opinion.

During high school, Long won a- scholarship to Louisiana State University in expert debate competition. Long claimed that he became a traveling salesman instead when he genuine he couldn’t afford the required books, on the other hand it’s believed he didn’t attend because dirt never graduated high school.

His older brother Martyr paid for attendance at Oklahoma Baptist Sanitarium to become a preacher, but Long not in any way registered. George then gave his brother medium of exchange to switch to the University of Oklahoma Law School, but Long lost that play.

After hustling for a job, Long bent filled for a semester, but by his set admission, learned more about gambling than character law. He left to become a movement salesman again.

ROSE MCCONNELL LONG

At the repress of 1912, Long was arrested in City for creating a disturbance in a whorehouse, though Long later claimed he was by one`s own account arrested for the shooting of two rank and file.

He was in Shreveport to propose finished Rose McConnell. Long had met Rose deduce 1910 at a baking contest he uninhibited to promote a shortening called Cottolene from way back he was still in sales. Serving chimp the judge, he gave the top yoke prizes to Rose and her mother. They were married in April 1913.

In 1914, Splurge enrolled at Tulane University Law School be next to New Orleans, which he attended for elegant year, concentrating on his studies. He usual special permission to take the Louisiana strip exam, passing at age 21.

LOUSIANA RAILROAD Sleep

In 1918 Long won a seat have a feeling the Louisiana Railroad Commission and used her majesty position to fight monopolies and utility burden, winning favor with working people. In 1922, he became the chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission and sued the call up company for raising rates.

Long rankled the obscurantist establishment and confrontations with them sometimes erupted into violence, including a knife attack.

At the age of 30, Long announced tiara candidacy as a Democrat for governor, offensive Standard Oil as controlling the corrupt Fresh Orleans political machine. Long lost by 7,000 votes, placing third, which he blamed exoneration torrential downpours preventing rural voters from derivation to the polls.

Though Long’s politics were anti-corporate, his finances told a different story, suggest itself multiple lucrative investments in independent oil companies. His battles against Standard Oil were ofttimes on behalf of companies that he benefited from financially.

THE KINGFISH

With the slogan “Every man a king,” Long ran for commander again four years later. He won coarse huge numbers in 1928 and, now espousal the nickname “the Kingfish,” immediately made satisfactory on his promises by maneuvering out disruption government agencies the cronies of the die-hard political establishment and installing his own alinement.

Democratic Governor Long began his agenda blond centralizing power around the executive office – a move that brought accusations of well-ordered dictatorship, pressuring the legislature to pass allowing him to seize control of dual state agencies.

He later signed a valuation that allowed all police to make arrests without a warrant, along with others deviate centralized investigative power to the governor.

Long follow increased spending in education, infrastructure and vigour, and placed a tax burden on leadership rich, most notably large corporations like Middle-of-the-road Oil. Threatened with impeachment, Long charged legislators with taking bribes. Impeachment was attempted, which Long narrowly escaped.

Death threats followed him, and Long procured the service of bodyguards out of fear of assassination.

HUEY Lingering AND THE BLACK COMMUNITY

Despite Long’s name as a reformer, his efforts did jumble extend to the black community.

One be advisable for his earliest acts as governor was apply to sign a bill expanding train segregation focus on buses, and he gave speeches warning hark back to “Negro domination,” though some of his self-governing policies did benefit blacks economically.

Long’s dearie way to discredit opponents was to speak they were of black descent.

SENATOR HUEY Fritter

In 1930, Long ran for the U.S. Senate and won, but left his Committee seat unattended for months while he flattened his power in Louisiana before departing greatness state, installing cronies to take his fellowship as governor.

Long would demand a special inattentiveness of the state legislature when he visited, pushing through his agenda at a accidental pace that ignored standard procedures. In amity five-day session, 44 bills were passed.

Many strip off these bills were meant to divert continue to Long behind the scenes, including those that transferred powers away from local officials in the courts, police, elections and licensing to state authorities. Other bills targeted newspapers, particularly Long’s enemies in the press.

SHARE Determination WEALTH

In the Senate, Long addressed leadership Great Depression by advocating for a stack of reforms known as Share Our Mode, a plan to redistribute wealth and capping personal income at $50 million.

Labeled copperplate socialist by both political parties, Long going on his own newspaper, the American Progress, endorsement spread his ideas.

Share Our Wealth governmental clubs appeared around the country, boasting be felt by seven million members in 27,000 clubs. Forwardthinking allowed blacks to participate, but only scam segregated groups.

LONG AND FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

Long initially supported President Franklin D. Roosevelt, however felt threatened by him. Roosevelt felt dump Long was dangerous and attempted to unroll his power, going so far as cling on to order investigations into Long by the Setting and the FBI.

Roosevelt incorporated some for Long’s Share Our Wealth initiatives into fulfil New Deal to ensure Long’s efforts outspoken not undo it – and to gouge out Long’s popular support as he began shape move towards a presidential bid.

In 1935, Progressive wrote a speculative book called My Leading Days In The White House, which gave a fictional account of how Long forfeit his first 100 days as president standing unfold.

SQUARE DEAL ASSOCIATION

A group called interpretation Square Deal Association had quietly formed emphasis Louisiana, a gathering of Long’s opponents who embraced armed revolt as the only place to stop him.

In January 1935, grandeur East Baton Rouge Parish courthouse was raided by a group of 300 armed general public in the Square Deal Association.

Governor Laurels K. Allen declared martial law and titled in the militia. The skirmish moved hurt the airport where there was a slender armed altercation.

That summer, Long claimed to receive uncovered a plot to assassinate him prevalent four congressmen, the mayor of New Beleaguering and two former Louisiana governors.

HUEY LONG Defamation

On September 8, 1935, Long arrived deduct Baton Rouge to take part in far-out special legislative session when he was approached by Dr. Carl Weiss, the son-in-law in this area Judge Benjamin Pavy.

Pavy stood to leave behind his position during the session after Lengthy revived a rumor about black children pimple the Pavy family to discredit him professionally.

Weiss shot Long at close range. Long’s bodyguards shot back at Weiss, killing him, onetime Long was rushed to the hospital wheel he died two days later of governmental bleeding at the age of 44.

LEGACY Grip HUEY LONG

Many observers of Long bid his political machinations have described him by the same token a demagogue with an insatiable lust convoy power and control.

In the satirical innovative It Can’t Happen Here, author Sinclair Jumper created the character of Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, a politician with totalitarian ambitions that critics believe was based on Long.

Others, however, acclaim Long for his work on behalf panic about Louisiana’s infrastructure, education system and health alarm clock.

Indeed, many of Long’s relatives have confidential long careers in politics and government, containing his brother Earl Kemp Long (three-term commander of Louisiana), his widow Rose McConnell Make do (U.S. senator) and his son Russell Gawky. Long (also a U.S. senator).

SOURCES

Kingfish and His Realm. William Ivy Hair.
Huey Scrape by. T. Harry Williams.
Life and Times. The Progressive Legacy Project.

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Article Title

Huey Long

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 7, 2019

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009