When was huey long born

Most frontier families lived in abject poverty, surviving on what they cultivated, with little opportunity for leisure, education, or cultural growth. Neighbors relied on one another for survival. Little Huey was forever resisting the boundaries established to restrain him.

He learned to walk at eight months and was soon discovered playing among the livestock, much to the frustration of his parents and siblings, who were always chasing after him. Small for his age, Huey was not like the other boys in his community, who amused themselves with outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. He disliked farm work and loved to read books, which were scarce in his community.

He was intensely curious and determined to understand how things worked. When a train rolled into Winnfield, it was common for little Huey to crawl underneath it to get a closer look, delaying its departure until somebody pulled him out.

When it came to work, he preferred anything to the monotony of farm work. His jobs were many and varied, from delivering baked goods to setting newspaper type, but sales work was his favorite. He began practicing law in his native state in ; first in Winnfield, but later moved to Shreveport. Long prospered as a lawyer, but had only used law as a jumping board into politics.

He was elected a member of the Louisiana railroad commission in ; and later, in , it enlarged in power and became known as the Public Service Commission.

Huey called himself "Kingfish" after a popular radio character. Long; announcing his candidacy for governor. L ouisiana Governor- In , Long ran for governor and lost, but ran again four years later; on the platform of building better roads and free textbooks for all school children. Long won. He was the first major Southern politician to put aside appeals to racism.

He established a powerful and ruthless political machine. His support was based upon the poverty-stricken rural population of the state, to whom he appealed through his apparent willingness to despoil the rich and give to the poor.

The building of bridges, roads, hospitals, and a modern educational system were all sponsored by Long. His program met with unrelenting opposition from conservatives; who attempted to remove him from office by impeachment on charges that included bribery and misuse of state funds. Long defeated the move after persuading 15 senators, a sufficient number to thwart impeachment, to sign a round robin that they would not vote to convict.

This ordeal hardened him and he decided to build a power structure that his enemies could never prevail against. In , Long, in the middle of his governorship, ran for the U.

Senate and won. He had a falling out with his Lieutenant Governor, Paul Cyr and was determined not to have Cyr succeed him. He promised the people of Louisiana that he would not leave the office of governor in the hands of his lieutenant governor, "even for a minute". The power struggle between Long and Cyr was almost comical. In October , Cyr went so far as to seek a Justice of the Peace and took the oath of office as governor, stating that Huey had vacated the office as soon as he was chosen U.

This searchable database identifies former governors by state and dates of service. The governors' biographies available on the NGA website provide summary biographical information only and are edited infrequently. Recent Louisiana Governors. David C. Treen March 10, - March 12, Learn More. Search For Former Governors This searchable database identifies former governors by state and dates of service.

Start Searching. Carl Weiss, approached Senator Long in a corridor and shot him at close range in the abdomen. Weiss was killed instantly, and Long was rushed to a nearby hospital, where emergency surgery failed to stop internal bleeding. Senator Huey Long died two days later on September 10, , eleven days after his 42 nd birthday. I have so much to do. For More Information : Huey Long has been the subject of more than 70 books, countless articles, and a documentary film.

A list of the most credible and accurate resources is available on the Huey Long Project Web Site: www. Huey P. Long : Governor, U. People of America: In every community get together at once and organize a share-our-wealth society—Motto: Every man a king. To limit fortunes to such a few million dollars as will allow the balance of the American people to share in the wealth and profits of the land. To limit the hours of work to such an extent as to prevent overproduction and to give the workers of America some share in the recreations, conveniences, and luxuries of life.

To balance agricultural production with what can be sold and consumed according to the laws of God, which have never failed. Taxation to run the Government to be supported, first, by reducing big fortunes from the top, thereby to improve the country and provide employment in public works whenever agricultural surplus is such as to render unnecessary, in whole or in part, any particular crop. They have the right to a living, with the conveniences and some of the luxuries of this life, so long as there are too many or enough for all.

They have a right to raise their children in a healthy, wholesome atmosphere and to educate them, rather than to face the dread of their under-nourishment and sadness by being denied a real life. We propose that a deserving family shall share in our wealth of America at least for one third the average.

An average family is slightly less than five persons. The number has become less during depression. We say that we will limit poverty of the deserving people. None too poor, none too rich. The wealth of this land is tied up in a few hands. It makes no difference how many years the laborer has worked, nor does it make any difference how many dreary rows the farmer has plowed, the wealth he has created is in the hands of manipulators.

They have not worked any more than many other people who have nothing. Now we do not propose to hurt these very rich persons. We simply say that when they reach the place of millionaires they have everything they can use and they ought to let somebody else have something. As it is, 0. Then two thirds of the people do not even have a bank account. The lowest estimate is that 4 percent of the people own 85 percent of our wealth.

The people cannot ever come to light unless we share our wealth, hence the society to do it. Everyone has begun to realize something must be done for our old people who work out their lives, feed and clothe children and are left penniless in their declining years.