After being elected Governor of Louisiana in 1928, Huey “Long moved quickly to consolidate power, firing hundreds of opponents in the state bureaucracy at all ranks from cabinet-level heads of departments to state road workers. Like previous governors, he filled the vacancies with patronage appointments from his network of public works supporters. Every state employee who depended on Long for a job was expected to pay a portion of their salary at election time directly into his campaign fund.” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Long)

Long gained popularity through the use of sound trucks and radio commercials, the new media of the era. He also started his own newspaper which allowed him to spread his ideas to large audiences.

Long came from a poverty-stricken background, thus his main support came from the rural poor.

“His irreverent speech, fiery oratory, and unconventional buffoonery soon made him nationally famous. Long made a genuine contribution with an ambitious program of public works and welfare legislation in a state whose road system and social services had been sadly neglected by the wealthy elite that had long controlled the state government.” (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Long’s programs attacked the Louisiana elite and Standard Oil through inheritance and income taxes. These policies made him an object of hatred among the wealthy, so much so that he hired a phalanx of bodyguards to protect him from assassination.

Long offered free textbooks for students, except for Black students. Long extended Jim Crow segregation laws in transportation for blacks, and gave speeches warning of “Negro domination” although Long’s economic policies actually helped blacks during the Great Depression. Long, while governor, actually came onto the floor of the Louisiana legislature and got 44 laws passed in just five days by ignoring standard protocols and procedures. (history.com) Long was also an ardent supporter of Louisiana State University. (en.wikipedia.org)

Huey Long ran for and won a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1930, but he neglected his new federal position as he consolidated his control of the state and got his choice elected as governor in 1932. In essence, Long was both a senator and governor at the same time.

Long first supported President Roosevelt but eventually he turned against him. F.D.R. wasn’t radical enough for Long. Long’s apparent plan was to run as an independent in 1936 and allow the Republican candidate to defeat Roosevelt by splitting the Democratic vote. Then he would run for president in 1940. This posed a threat to F.D.R. who would eventually incorporate many of Long’s “Share Our Wealth” policies into his New Deal programs in self-defense. “Roosevelt reportedly admitted in private to trying to ‘steal Long’s thunder.’” (Wikipedia)

“Regarding Roosevelt, Long boasted to the New York Times reporter Arthur Krock: ‘He’s scared of me. I can out-promise him, and he knows it,’” (Wikipedia)

On Sept. 8, 1935, Long was assassinated by a single bullet from Dr. Carl Weiss. Long had revived rumors that Weiss’s father-in-law, Judge Benjamin Pavy, had Black children in his family. This would have caused Pavy to lose his next election. Long’s bodyguards killed Weiss by shooting him sixty times after Long’s assassination, based on the autopsy. Long bled to death at the age of 44 two days later.

Long’s death ended F.D.R’s concerns about reelection in 1936.

“Roosevelt considered Long a radical demagogue and stated that Long, along with General Douglas MacArthur ‘was one of the two most dangerous men in America.’”

F.D.R. then ordered the IRS to investigate Long and his associates for tax evasion.

“Nothing illegal was found on Long, but a number of his associates were charged with tax evasion. Rosevelt’s son, Elliot would later note that in this instance, his father ‘may have begun the concept of employing the IRS as a weapon of political retribution.’” (Wikipedia)

Long’s “social reforms and radical welfare proposals were ultimately overshadowed by the unprecedented executive dictatorship that he perpetrated to ensure control of his home state” (Britannica). No wonder F.D.R. considered Long’s death “a providential occurrence.” (Wikipedia)

Many of Huey Long’s family members had long careers in politics in government. His brother Earl Kemp Long was three-term governor of Louisiana. Long’s widow, Rose McConnell Long, took his seat as U.S. Senator. His son, Russell B. Long, also became a U.S. senator. (History.com)

Regarding Long’s legacy, it seems “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The United States survived Long’s political threat in the midst of the Great Depression.

Perhaps that adage applies to our current political climate as well. Let’s hope so.