Shot by an assailant in a corridor of the very capitol he built, he died on September 10th. Long is buried on the capitol grounds. A fascist dictator or latter day "Robin Hood", he remains in political lore the one and only "Kingfish". Free software is required to view some content on this site. Skip to main content Skip to footer site map. Browse by Audience. Where do Collections Come From? Preserving Collections Who Supports the Archives? Visit the Archives View the Collections.
How do I Use the Records Center? Delta Music Museum Eddie G. He broke the monopoly on power held by the ruling elite and their corporate backers and transformed Louisiana politics. Huey Long transformed the public's perception of the role of government in a democratic society.
Some of our most cherished government institutions — from social security to veterans benefits, student financial aid to public works projects — were causes championed by Huey Long. From an early age, it was evident that Huey Long was a true original. A bright, inquisitive, and feisty child, he would grow to become the most famous — and audacious - public figure ever produced by the state of Louisiana.
Blessed with a brilliant mind and photographic memory, Huey Long easily circumvented the many barriers to education in Louisiana and managed to become a lawyer without receiving a single diploma. Huey Long began his career as a traveling salesman, displaying a knack for connecting with the common man, a skill he would later apply as a young attorney defending the disadvantaged.
At age 25, Huey Long made a splash in Louisiana politics on the Louisiana Railroad Commission , fighting corporate monopolies and reducing utility rates. In his second run for governor at age 34, Huey's revolutionary campaign toppled the corrupt political establishment that had ruled Louisiana since the French. He was impeached in the House but avoided conviction in the Senate. Huey Long was elected to the U.
Senate in , in a race cast as a referendum on his policies as governor. By , rumors of plots to assassinate Huey Long swirled around Louisiana.
Carl Weiss, the relative of a political enemy. While Long offered relief to the poor that correspondingly annoyed those who were expected to pay for his social programs, the Long machine also included other qualities that ensured determined opposition would develop.
Though energetic and hard working, Long was crass and profane. Not content to whip them at the polls, Long found it necessary to berate and insult his opponents at nearly every opportunity.
In a state where many people regarded personal and familial honor as more important than life itself, Long ceaselessly taunted and denigrated those opposed to his policies, often mocking the physical characteristics of his opponents. As he delivered necessary reforms, Long seemed increasingly to be consumed by a ceaseless desire for more power. He rapidly concentrated virtually all aspects of state authority under his ultimate control in Baton Rouge and ruthlessly marginalized any who opposed him.
Local political entities were rendered almost exclusively dependent on state authority, and electoral districts were gerrymandered specifically to defeat Long opponents. In Long went so far as to order National Guard troops into New Orleans and declared martial law to wrest control of the city from Mayor Walmsley, who had led an anti-Long rally in Baton Rouge.
Such heavy-handed disregard for the democratic process soon made anti-Longs out of powerful figures and corporations ranging from Standard Oil to President Franklin Roosevelt, who allegedly declared Long one of the two most dangerous men in America the other being anti-Semitic radio evangelist Father Charles Coughlin.
Though Long continued to taunt and berate his opponents, he was clearly concerned about the determination of some anti-Longs.
He became the first Louisiana governor to hire bodyguards, soon employing enough for a small military company. He found plots against him nearly everywhere, especially after anti-Longs coalesced into loose organizations such as the Square Deal Association. Formed originally by disgruntled Standard Oil employees, the Square Dealers eventually included diverse groups and individuals committed to one purpose—getting rid of Long by any means necessary.
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