Huey Long

Huey Long – by T. Harry Williams

I grew up in Louisiana. I took Louisiana State History in 8^th grade.  My teacher was a devout admirer of Huey Long. We spent two weeks of the year focused exclusively on the man and his life. When my teacher described Long’s assassination, he almost broke out in tears.  This was back in 1981.  My teacher used this book as his main reference for his subject matter.

36 years later, I finally read the book. A truly great book, but I can’t honestly say I admire its subject matter. Yes, Huey did some great things, and in Louisiana, his memory is revered in holiness among most, but after reading this 900-page account, it left me feeling the man was flat out dangerous.

Huey Long was probably the closest thing to a dictator that the United States has ever known. The thing that made him so endearing to so many was that he used his powers, at least on the surface, for good. He was always championing for the poor and always fighting big businesses. He made it his mission as a young Governor of Louisiana that all children would receive free textbooks so they could learn. Unlike some who use championing for the poor as a mask for darker desires, Huey Long truly did seem to care.

As soon as he became a public figure, he figured out the game of politics and mastered it better than anyone. Early on it was clear to see that if you were against this man, he knew just what to do to ruin you. There are some that will argue that nothing has changed 80 years later. There are some that might say that things have changed, but they were very commonplace back in the 1930s, so his methods don’t get near the scrutiny as they would had he been around campaigning today.  This man would be very dangerous had he had a YouTube channel or a Twitter account.

So we read about his escapades, first, as Governor of Louisiana. Other than an impeachment (which he’s found innocent), things don’t get quite out of hand yet.  Then he runs for U.S. Senator. He’s then elected as a U.S. Senator. The problem is, he’s still Governor of Louisiana.  He still wants to be Governor of Louisiana. What to do?  Well, basically he still acts as Governor of the State while having a puppet leader act in his place. It’s quite scary to realize that Louisiana is basically under Martial Law, so to speak, at this time.

The man is obsessed with power. We rarely read anything about his family.  He simply didn’t have time for family.  There were too many back room deals to be made.  Things don’t change as a U.S. Senator. He promptly “takes over” the Senate, and uses the same unscrupulous methods to achieve his results and quickly puts the fear of God (or Long) into his senatorial counterparts.  He also ends up hating Franklin Roosevelt. Why?  Long states that the Commander in Chief isn’t progressive enough.  Careful scrutiny tells us that the real reason is that Huey wants his job come 1936.  Huey even begins writing a book about his presidency a few years before 1936.  I couldn’t help think of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

About the only thing Huey loves more than politics is LSU football. His wild antics definitely stir the faithful, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why he was so loved by the common man.  A man who is so passionate about the local football team can’t be all that bad. Right?  Well, he basically invites himself onto the sidelines during the games, and is always metaphorically pushing the team’s coach out of the way so he can be the coach.  Obviously, this gets on the coaches’ nerves.  A half-time speech should be made by the coach, not the U.S. Senator representing the state.  He even tries to run the University’s marching band – supposedly penning some of the music.

Side note: Although this isn’t mentioned in the book, I’ve heard stories that Huey wanted a new stadium at LSU so bad, that he took the funds intended for the men’s dormitories.  When the university explained to him that this was out of the question, Huey simply decided to build a stadium that would ALSO serve as a dormitory.  I don’t know if this is true or not, but as an alumnus of the university, I do know firsthand that the stadium did also house students.  Bizarre.

We know Huey was eventually gunned down by an assassin’s bullet before he ever officially announced his candidacy for U.S. President.  While I would never wish such a thing to happen to anybody, I have to honestly say that the thought of having this man as President sends chills down my spine.  I see many parallels of Long’s life to LBJs, and we know how maligned Johnson’s presidency turned out to be.  The fact that Long could have been president during World War II makes me twice as queasy.

A fascinating book, but I came away with the notion that I simply didn’t like the man.  Sure, he did great things, but his methods were too harsh.  Sorry, Louisiana. As a former resident, I have to go against the tide and say that I’m not an admirer of the Kingfish.