Mr. E’s
Tuesday,
Mar. 24, 2009
Louisiana History
Class
“The Kingfish”
Huey Pierce Long
1893-1935
http://www.hueylong.com/life-times/early-career.php
March 24, 1840 ~ Calcasieu
Parish created as largest in the
state at the time, it also had
smallest population at time.
72. Describe leaders who were influential in Louisiana’s development.
H-1D-M1
Today’s objective: Students will take begin a ride through the late 1920s and
early 30s with the "Kingfish" Huey P. Long.
Practice S.S. LEAP Question
The House the Bank Built
In his largest case, Huey represented an employee
of the Commercial National Bank, whom the bank
had slandered and sued for endorsing a loan that
went bad. When no one in town would take the
case, He won the case, saving his client $200,000
and earning himself a $40,000 fee paid by the bank.
He used the windfall to build a home for his family in
Shreveport.
Why, in your own
opinion, would Huey
Long take this case?
Who is Huey Long –
and why do I need to know
anything about him?
Consider that you can’t go
to Baton Rouge without
seeing his effect on the
state, you can not go to
school, have lunch, open a
text book, work a job, elect
a politician, without his
impact. All that’s Huey!
Fact # 1
One of a kind: If you
lived during Huey’s lifetime,
opinions of him were seldom
mild. You either loved him or
hated him. Some poor
considered him a saint and
prayed to him right along
with St. Anthony and St.
Jude. His picture hung on
the wall next to that of
religious figures.
Fact # 2
Beginning– Winnfield, the
parishseat, in Winn parish is
in the middle of North
Louisiana. The parish is the
birthplace of the Populist
movement. In 1912 a Socialist
candidate got 36% of the parish
votes. The movement
believed that ‘wealth’ was
being divided unfairly. Most
people in the area were
farmers.
Fact # 3
End of one century
– Huey’s life began
August 30, 1893, born
to a middle class family.
He was seventh of nine
children born to Huey
Pierce Long Sr. and
Caladonia (Callie)
Tison Long. His brothers
and sisters resented the
fact that Huey claimed that
his family was poor.
Fact # 4
Education from ‘Hu’ –
Dinner at the Long
household was a review of
the days ‘learning’ – oldest to
youngest. Of their four sons
and five daughters, two
became Louisiana governors
(one also a U.S. Senator),
one U.S. congressman, one
district attorney, and five
school teachers (including a
university professor).
Fact # 5
Childhood – As a child Huey
was lively and restless. The rule
of the day said “children should
be seen and not heard”, but
Huey ignored this. He gave “his
opinion” whenever he pleased.
As a teenager he went to Baton
Rouge to compete in a debate. He
did not win and told the director
that he was cheated by the
professors. He said then that one
day he would become governor.
Fact # 6
Brilliant – Huey was
described as a brilliant child
even by his enemies. Even
though he had a great
memory he was never a good
student. The year he was
supposed to enter 7th grade
just showed up and enrolled
himself in eighth grade. Later
we will quit Winnfield High
School over an argument
with the principal.
Fact # 7
Jobs – Huey began
work as a ”traveling
salesman” selling
books door-to-door.
Here he learned the art
of selling himself to the
public. He was able to
sell books to people
who could not read but
wanted better for their
children.
Fact # 8
Why books? – What
Huey loved about selling
books was the fact that he
‘had’ to read them in order
to better sell them. With his
photographic memory he
would remember
everything thing he read,
everyone he met, and
everything he did. As he
sold books he used the
money to buy more books.
Fact # 9
Cooking up success –
Cottolene is a ‘oil-like’
substance used to cook with.
To sell the product Huey had
to first learn how to cook so
that he could demonstrate
the product. He then went
back door-to-door baking for
folks. He even sponsored a
baking contests to “sell” the
superior use of his product.
Fact # 10
Rose McConnell – It
was during one contest in
Shreveport that he met his
future wife – “who just
happened to win along with
her mother”!
He married Rose in 1913, and
they had three children: a
daughter named Rose and
two sons, Russell and
Palmer.
Fact # 11
Tulane – After
marriage, Huey
looked towards his
next career. He got
his bother Julius to
help him get into law
school - Tulane.
Understand that ‘he
never graduated from
high school’.
Fact # 12
The Test – Huey
arranged for a private ‘bar
exam’ (a test to become a
lawyer) while at Tulane. Due
to his boldness he got
it…no one had ever
received such special
arrangements before.
Never attending class, he
still passed the exam and
returned to Shreveport to
practice law.
Fact # 13
Pro bono – The problem
that Julius Long had with
Huey was that he worked for
free and Julius had to still
pay the bills. Huey was
willing to take cases on
need and the needs of the
poor people.
Julius finally ‘kicked’ him
out of the ‘office’.
Fact # 14
My future – Huey told
his wife that we wanted
to become governor, a
senator, and then
president, but because of
his age – 24 – the only
statewide office he could
hold was Railroad
Commissioner. He ran for
the 3rd District and won
this little known and even
less publicized office.
Fact # 15
Railroad
Commissioner – Huey
again traveled door-to-door
meeting people to campaign.
Since he never forgot a name
or face he won the election
easily.
He worked to lower utility
rates and began his life-long
battle with the huge Standard
Oil Company.
Fact # 16
Supreme Court – As RR
Commissioner he oversaw what the oil
companies were changing ‘poor folks’ and
he took SOL to court. Huey in his $6 suits
went up against New York lawyers and their
$600 suits in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ultimately Huey lost
but everyone in
Louisiana knew his
name now from the
newspaper stories.
Fact # 17
1924 – Huey was now
ready to run for governor in
1924 – He didn’t win but he
surprised many politicians
with the large number of
votes he received. When
asked about what he
learned from the election he
said “I learned how not to
lose!” From that day on he
began campaigning for the
1928 election.
Fact # 18
1928 – In his second run for
governor he used free radio
airtime, sound trucks, travel to
every part of the state, and
mail-out flyers. He gave over
600 campaign speeches. It is
said that he acted like “Santa
Claus to Louisiana in a state
that was used to Scrooge.”
Even though he came in
second the forerunner dropped
out fearing a loss to Huey.
Fact # 19
Roads – When many
of the automobiles in
Louisiana were still
traveling on dirt and
muddy roads Autos
required better roads
and Huey began to fix
them. State law had to
be changed to get
enough money to
replace gravel with
paved roads.
Fact # 20
Textbooks – In the 1920s free textbooks
are the norm in other states. Huey made
this a crusade. Because the law said he
could not give books to Catholic school
children he made sure the books were
given to
the children
individually
– not the schools.
Fact # 21
Poll Tax abolished –
The poor had supported
Huey in 1924 and 1928
and he wanted to make
sure they could continue
to vote for him.
Fact # 22
Bridges – Since the
only way across the
Mississippi river in
1928 was by ferry,
Huey wanted a faster,
more efficient way to
cross and he began a
bridge building
program. The New
Orleans bridge was
the first of several.
Fact # 23
Public Works – A building
program included a new high rise
state capitol, a new governor’s
mansion to replace to old one he
was living in, and new charity
hospitals.
Fact # 24
Healthcare - Huey
improved healthcare in
Louisiana by expanding
the Charity Hospital
System, creating the
Louisiana State University
Medical School, reforming
institutions to care for the
disabled and mentally
challenged statewide.
Fact # 25
Economic Reform
– Long transformed the
economic reality in
Louisiana from a system
stacked against its rural
poor citizens to a
system that offered
opportunity and tools
for advancement,
especially for the poor.
Fact # 26
Growing Opposition
– Huey’s style offended
more and more people.
Many thought his personal
crudeness was
inappropriate for a
governor – he even
seemed to make it a point
of not being a gentleman.
Fact # 27
Impeachment –
Opponents in the legislature
moved to impeach Huey on
charges ranging from
misuse of state funds to
using “abusive language.”
Huey produced a document
signed by over 1/3 of the
senators, stating they would
vote against impeachment
because the trial was illegal.
Fact # 28
Earl steps in – Even
though Earl and Huey fought
with each other over the years
and Huey bypassed Earl for
state jobs, Earl came to Huey’s
rescue during the
impeachment hearings. Earl
had visited with each senator
one-by-one to obtain their
agreement not to remove Huey
from office.
Fact # 29
Senator Long –
Elected
senator just
two years
after he had
became
governor,
Huey was
now well on
his path to
greatness.
Fact # 30
Lt. Gov. Paul Cyr – When Huey was
elected senator, Lt. Gov. Cyr saw this as his
chance to become governor. He moved into
Huey’s old office and thought he was “in
charge”. No one EVERY thought Huey was
not in charge. Within days Huey was back
and kicking Cyr out of the office and out of
politics.
O.K. Allen was appointed as
Lt. Governor and later
to take Huey’s place.
Fact # 31
new
moved up
O.K. Allen – Allen had
been president of the senate
and was known as Long’s
puppet that he was even
accused of signing anything
put in front of him.
Earl once said that “if a leaf
blew in the window, Allen
would sign it thinking Huey
sent over another bill…”
Fact # 32
Huey and LSU – The relationship Huey
had with LSU was complicated. He felt he
was entitled to lead the band, coach the
football team, and hire and fire anyone.
When the LSU
student newspaper
published an antiHuey story he had
the staff expelled.
Fact # 33
The National Stage –
By 1932 Huey was tired of
Congress and set his sites on an
even greater goal. He continued his
‘showy behavior’ & informed the
senators that the “Kingfish” had
arrived. His slogan was “Every man
a king” and his new program was
“Share our Wealth”. He believed no
man should have an income of
more than $1 million a year.
Fact # 34
Long and Roosevelt –
Huey arrived in Washington
just as the nation was battling
the Great Depression that had
begun in 1929. Sen. Long and
President Roosevelt clashed
almost immediately. Long
made no secret that he “was
going to be president”. Long’s
program was in competition
with Roosevelt’s New Deal.
Fact # 35
My First Days in the
White House – Huey was
so bold and certain that he
would become president that
he wrote his own story about
what it would be like when he
became president.
Some analysts believed this
was to pressure Roosevelt’s
New Deal programs.
Fact # 36
Share Our Wealth
Program – Among
other things - Guarantee
every family an annual
income of $2,000 –enough
for a home, car, and a
radio; Free college
education; Old-age
pensions; A 30 hour work
week; and a four week
vacation for every worker
Fact # 37
The Fall of ‘35 –
Despite the excitement
of Washing, Huey
refused to let Louisiana
function without him. He
and Gov. Allen pushed
through 435 new bills.
He also wanted
legislation to
gerrymander Judge
Benjamin Pavy off of
office.
Fact # 38
September – on that
hot September 8th night
in 1935 Huey Long
strode the halls of his
ne capitol demanding
action of various bills
up for vote – one to get
Judge Pavy out of
office. All was well until
he returned down the
back hallway – then
shots rang out…
Fact # 39
Carl Austin Weiss – Judge
Pavy’s son-in-law, a small
serious-looking, baby doctor,
stood in the back hall in a white
linen suit. In an encounter that
lasted mere seconds, Sen. Long
was shot in the stomach and
Weiss laid dead from 63 bullets.
Long was able to make it down
the hall and was rushed to Our
Lady of the Lake Hospital where
surgery was preformed.
Fact # 40
Dr. Arthur Vidrine – Dr. Vidrine looked
at Huey’s wound and sewed up the kidney
puncture and pronounced that the Senator
would be fine. The problem was that he did
not notice the exit wound in the rear of the
kidney.
Two days later Huey
was dead of leakage
from the kidney into
the chest cavity.
Fact # 401
Carl Austin Weiss –
Nearly 200,000 people
attended Sen. Long’s
funeral at the state capital.
He was buried on the
grounds in front of the
capitol.
For nearly 50 years
theories about the
assassination have
continued to circulate.
Fact # 42
A Legacy of
Scandals – Huey’s
death left his
supporters without a
leader. He had always
made sure that no one
became strong enough
to challenge his power.
Fact # 43
Gov. Richard Leche –
Elected in ’36, Leche
continued Huey’s
programs. However
rumors of theft and
corruption spread across
the state. Even the LSU
president was accused of
taking kickbacks.
Leche was forced to
resigned from office.
Fact # 44
Huey Long’s Legacy –
•High rise STATE CAPITOL
•New GOVERNOR’S MANSION
•Mississippi River BRIDGE
•His STATUE on the capitol lawn
•and his autobiography
MY FIRST DAYS IN THE
HOUSE
Fact # 45
WHITE
Tue (24): Ch. 13, Huey Long
Wed (25): Ch. 13, Huey Long
Thurs (26): Ch. 13, Huey Long
Fri (27): Ch. 13, Huey Long
Mon (30): Huey Long video
Tue (31): Last Minute Test Tips
Wed (1): LEAP test begins
Thurs (2): LEAP test begins
Upcoming