Huey Long

Huey Long - Politician, Timeline and Childhood

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Huey Long's Personal Details

Huey Long was an American politician best known for his Share Our Wealth program

InformationDetail
BirthdayAugust 30, 1893
Died onSeptember 10, 1935
NationalityAmerican
FamousDemocrats, Leaders, Political Leaders, Politician
IdeologiesDemocrats
City/StateLouisiana
SpousesRose McConnell Long
SiblingsEarl Long, George S. Long
Known asHuey P. Long, Huey Pierce Long Jr., The Kingfish, Huey Pierce Long
ChildrensPalmer Long, Palmer Reid Long, Rose McConnell Long McFarland, Russell B. Long
Universities
  • Tulane University
  • University of Oklahoma
  • Tulane University Law School
  • Oklahoma Baptist University
  • University of Oklahoma College of Law
Cause of death
  • Assassination
Birth PlaceWinnfield
Political IdeologyDemocratic
ReligionBaptists
GenderMale
FatherHuey Pierce Long Sr.
MotherPalestine Tison
Sun SignVirgo
Born inWinnfield
Famous asPolitician
Died at Age42

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Huey Long's photo

Who is Huey Long?

Huey Pierce Long, Jr. was an American politician who was serving as a Democratic member of the United States Senate when he was assassinated in 1935. Prior to being elected to the senate he had served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932. He was a populist and an outspoken one at that—he openly denounced the rich and the banks and called for "Share Our Wealth" program which he created in 1934 under the motto "Every Man a King". He proposed radical welfare measures and under his leadership hospitals and educational institutions were expanded and massive infrastructural improvements were made in rural areas. While highly popular among some sections of the society, he was also a controversial figure who gained notoriety because of his executive dictatorship through which he gained control of his home state, Louisiana. Born into an impoverished background, Long was a self-made man. Smart and ambitious, he entered politics at a young age and soon gained considerable fame because of his excellent oratory skills and unconventional personality. He was a champion of the poor and opposed excessive privileges to the rich which earned him some powerful enemies. At the peak of his career he announced that he would run for the presidency but was tragically assassinated shortly after he made this announcement.

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Childhood & Early Life

Huey Pierce Long Jr. was born on August 30, 1893, in Winnfield, Louisiana to Huey Pierce Long, Sr. and Caledonia Palestine Tison. He was the seventh of the couple’s nine surviving children.

He was educated at home for a few years before being sent to local schools. He proved to be an excellent student and won a debating scholarship to Louisiana State University. However, being from an impoverished background, he was unable to afford the textbooks required for the course.

Career

Unable to study further, he took up a job as a travelling salesman and also worked as an auctioneer. When the World War I started, sales jobs became scarce and Long attended seminary classes at Oklahoma Baptist University but soon realized that he was not meant for a career as a preacher.

He then attended the University of Oklahoma College of Law, in Norman, Oklahoma, and later Tulane University Law School in New Orleans. He took the state bar exam after just a year of study at Tulane in 1915 and passed the exam.

He set up a private practice and spent the next few years representing small plaintiffs against large businesses, including workers' compensation cases. Since he himself grew up in poverty, he was sympathetic towards the poor and never took a case against a poor man.

By this time he was also interested in politics and was elected to the Louisiana Railroad Commission at the age of 25 on an anti-Standard Oil platform in 1918. He made heavy use of printed circulars and embarked on extensive personal campaigns, and bitterly attacked his opponents. His position with the commission helped him build a reputation as a populist who fought against rate increases and monopolies.

Long ran for Governor of Louisiana in the election of 1924 but was defeated. Four years later, he won the 1928 election and immediately set upon implementing an ambitious program of public works and welfare legislation. Under his program, several roads, bridges, hospitals were built and he extended considerable support to educational initiatives.

In 1932, he took office as the United States Senator from Louisiana, in the backdrop of the Great Depression. A skilled orator, he fiercely denounced the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few and called for the redistribution of wealth, which he believed could be done by heavily taxing the rich. While these measures made him popular among the poor sections of the society, it also earned him some powerful enemies.

As his political prowess grew he became increasingly dictatorial, and passed a series of laws giving him control over the appointment of every public position in the state of Louisiana, including every policeman and schoolteacher. Howeve,r the work he did for the poor ensured that he remained popular among the masses.

Under Long’s leadership, Louisiana saw unprecedented development. The major construction projects undertaken during his tenure not only improved the infrastructure in the state but also helped to create thousands of much-needed jobs during the Great Depression era.

His school-building program and free textbooks to students improved and greatly expanded the public education system. More than 1,00,000 adults learned to read as a result of his adult education programs.

Because of his healthcare programs under which new hospitals were built, the death rate in Louisiana fell drastically as patients could now access better medical facilities in a timely manner. His initiatives also provided free immunizations to nearly 70 percent of the population.

Huey Long introduced his ‘Share Our Wealth’ plan over a nationwide radio broadcast in February 1934. He proposed federal legislation to limit personal fortunes, income and inheritances, and use the resulting funds to guarantee every family a basic household grant of $5,000. The plan also proposed several other reforms including free college education and vocational training for all able students, old-age pensions, veterans' benefits, federal assistance to farmers, and public works projects.

His Share Our Wealth program became immensely popular and by the summer of 1935, the Share Our Wealth clubs had 7.5 million members and he was receiving 60,000 letters a week from supporters. In 1935, he also announced his plans to run for presidency. He was however assassinated just a month after this announcement.

Major Work

Huey Long is most remembered for the Share Our Wealth movement which he proposed in 1934 during the Great Depression. He believed that the underlying cause of the Great Depression was the growing disparity between the rich and poor, and thus proposed a plan of capping the income of the wealthy and redistributing the funds to the poor. This plan, while being highly controversial also made him a very popular figure among the poorer classes.

Awards & Achievements

In 1993, Huey Long was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.

Personal Life & Legacy

He married Rose McConnell, a stenographer, in 1913. The couple was blessed with one daughter and two sons.

On September 8, 1935, Huey Long was at the State Capitol when Dr. Carl Weiss, the son-in-law of one of Long’s political opponents, shot him. Long was rushed to the hospital, but died two days later, on September 10, 1935. He was just 42. Political enmity is believed to be the cause of the doctor’s action.

Several motion pictures and literary works have been inspired by Long’s life and politics, the notable ones being Hamilton Basso’s ‘Cinnamon Seed’ (1934) and ‘Sun in Capricorn’ (1942), John Dos Passos's ‘Number One’ (1943), and ‘All the King's Men’ (1949).

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Huey Long biography timelines

  • // 30th Aug 1893
    Huey Pierce Long Jr. was born on August 30, 1893, in Winnfield, Louisiana to Huey Pierce Long, Sr. and Caledonia Palestine Tison. He was the seventh of the couple’s nine surviving children.
  • // 1913
    He married Rose McConnell, a stenographer, in 1913. The couple was blessed with one daughter and two sons.
  • // 1915
    He then attended the University of Oklahoma College of Law, in Norman, Oklahoma, and later Tulane University Law School in New Orleans. He took the state bar exam after just a year of study at Tulane in 1915 and passed the exam.
  • // 1918
    By this time he was also interested in politics and was elected to the Louisiana Railroad Commission at the age of 25 on an anti-Standard Oil platform in 1918. He made heavy use of printed circulars and embarked on extensive personal campaigns, and bitterly attacked his opponents. His position with the commission helped him build a reputation as a populist who fought against rate increases and monopolies.
  • // 1924 To 1928
    Long ran for Governor of Louisiana in the election of 1924 but was defeated. Four years later, he won the 1928 election and immediately set upon implementing an ambitious program of public works and welfare legislation. Under his program, several roads, bridges, hospitals were built and he extended considerable support to educational initiatives.
  • // 1932
    In 1932, he took office as the United States Senator from Louisiana, in the backdrop of the Great Depression. A skilled orator, he fiercely denounced the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few and called for the redistribution of wealth, which he believed could be done by heavily taxing the rich. While these measures made him popular among the poor sections of the society, it also earned him some powerful enemies.
  • // 1934
    Huey Long is most remembered for the Share Our Wealth movement which he proposed in 1934 during the Great Depression. He believed that the underlying cause of the Great Depression was the growing disparity between the rich and poor, and thus proposed a plan of capping the income of the wealthy and redistributing the funds to the poor. This plan, while being highly controversial also made him a very popular figure among the poorer classes.
  • // Feb 1934
    Huey Long introduced his ‘Share Our Wealth’ plan over a nationwide radio broadcast in February 1934. He proposed federal legislation to limit personal fortunes, income and inheritances, and use the resulting funds to guarantee every family a basic household grant of $5,000. The plan also proposed several other reforms including free college education and vocational training for all able students, old-age pensions, veterans' benefits, federal assistance to farmers, and public works projects.
  • // 1935
    His Share Our Wealth program became immensely popular and by the summer of 1935, the Share Our Wealth clubs had 7.5 million members and he was receiving 60,000 letters a week from supporters. In 1935, he also announced his plans to run for presidency. He was however assassinated just a month after this announcement.
  • // 8th Sep 1935
    On September 8, 1935, Huey Long was at the State Capitol when Dr. Carl Weiss, the son-in-law of one of Long’s political opponents, shot him. Long was rushed to the hospital, but died two days later, on September 10, 1935. He was just 42. Political enmity is believed to be the cause of the doctor’s action.
  • // 1993
    In 1993, Huey Long was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.

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Huey Long's FAQ

  • What is Huey Long birthday?

    Huey Long was born at 1893-08-30

  • When was Huey Long died?

    Huey Long was died at 1935-09-10

  • Where was Huey Long died?

    Huey Long was died in Baton Rouge

  • Which age was Huey Long died?

    Huey Long was died at age 42

  • Where is Huey Long's birth place?

    Huey Long was born in Winnfield

  • What is Huey Long nationalities?

    Huey Long's nationalities is American

  • What is Huey Long ideologies?

    Huey Long's ideologies is Democrats

  • Who is Huey Long spouses?

    Huey Long's spouses is Rose McConnell Long

  • Who is Huey Long siblings?

    Huey Long's siblings is Earl Long, George S. Long

  • Who is Huey Long childrens?

    Huey Long's childrens is Palmer Long, Palmer Reid Long, Rose McConnell Long McFarland, Russell B. Long

  • What was Huey Long universities?

    Huey Long studied at Tulane University, University of Oklahoma, Tulane University Law School, Oklahoma Baptist University, University of Oklahoma College of Law

  • What is Huey Long's cause of dead?

    Huey Long dead because of Assassination

  • What is Huey Long's political ideology?

    Huey Long's political ideology is Democratic

  • What is Huey Long's religion?

    Huey Long's religion is Baptists

  • Who is Huey Long's father?

    Huey Long's father is Huey Pierce Long Sr.

  • Who is Huey Long's mother?

    Huey Long's mother is Palestine Tison

  • What is Huey Long's sun sign?

    Huey Long is Virgo

  • How famous is Huey Long?

    Huey Long is famouse as Politician