LONG, HUEY PIERCE

Huey Pierce Long (1893–1935) was the seventh of nine children, born in a poor area of Louisiana in 1893. Though he would build his political career on the support of poor whites living largely on farms, Long's family was middle class. In school he excelled as a debater and read widely, particularly from the Bible, Shakespeare, and the French writer Victor Hugo.

Long worked briefly as a typesetter and a traveling salesman. He then briefly attended law school, took the Louisiana State bar exam, and passed it in 1915. Long was shrewd, popular, and had a feel for communicating with the "common man;" he became an effective attorney almost immediately. Long's political career began in 1918, with his election to the Louisiana railroad commission, which later became the public service commission. There Long made a name for himself by attacking large Louisiana-based corporations, especially Standard Oil, for being concerned only with their profits and as the source of the problems of Louisiana's poor.

Running with the slogan of "Every Man a King," Long was elected governor in 1928. As governor Huey Long continued to blame big business for the financial problems of the poor in Louisiana. He introduced unprecedented programs aimed at helping the poor in exchange for their votes. He initiated a massive highway and toll-free bridge construction project that put masses of people to work, lowered utility and transportation rates, and provided free schoolbooks, school lunches, and hospital care for everyone. He established free public night schools and began a program of dramatically improving the health standards of working people by taxing large Louisiana corporations. At the same time, there were accusations of bribery and corruption against Long. It is certain that Long's control of the Louisiana Democratic Party allowed him to crush most rivals and assume near total control over the state of Louisiana. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1930, but stayed on in his post as governor until his term expired in 1932, so as to prevent his lieutenant governor, a political opponent, from taking office.

In Washington, DC, Long allied himself with moderate Republicans, and yet strongly supported President Franklin Roosevelt (1933–1945). But Long quickly became impatient with Roosevelt's efforts to end the Great Depression (1929–1939), and saw the opportunity to further expand his power. In 1933 he broke with Roosevelt and began to plan for his own presidential run, using a "Share the Wealth" platform which was aimed at overhauling the tax structure in order to bring about a quick redistribution of wealth.

Under Long's plan the government would limit the income of all people through taxation, and use these funds to ensure that every family would be furnished with a $5000 allowance and an annual income of $2000 plus benefits. This idea was very attractive to millions of Americans who had lost their jobs or much of their wages in the Depression. It was met with horror by wealthier Americans, who decried the plan as communism or facism. Large businesses in particular regarded Long and his ideas as a threat.

Huey Long's dreams of the presidency ended in the Louisiana State Capitol in 1935, when he was assassinated by Carl Weiss, a political enemy. Weiss was immediately shot and killed by Long's bodyguards. The "Share the Wealth" plan died with Long. The United States would eventually emerge from the Depression, but at Roosevelt's pace, a pace that left U.S. business intact and arguably stronger after World War II (1939–1945).

LONG, HUEY PIERCE

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