Huey Long: The Louisiana Kingfish
As Governor and Senator, Huey Long, established a radical dictatorship in his native Louisiana; Peter J. King writes how, at the time of his death, Long was nourishing nation-wide ambitions.
On September 8th, 1935, a young doctor stepped from behind a pillar in the state capitol at Baton Rouge and fired one shot from his revolver. Two days later his victim, Senator Huey Pierce Long of Louisiana, died, and his death caused countless Americans, from President Roosevelt downwards, to breathe a sigh of relief, while the poor farmers of Louisiana lamented the passing of their hero.
Within his short career, Huey Long had wrought a revolution in his own state and threatened to extend it to the whole of the country. Long is a controversial figure who has aroused fervent enthusiasm and almost complete hatred. He had been hailed as the saviour of the poor and the oppressed, but more often denounced as a dictator, the harbinger of American fascism, and even as the potential Mussolini of America.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.