Huey
Long Campaign Song: "Every Man a King"
Huey Long, the eighth child of a Louisiana farmer, stands out as one of the most colorful figures in the history of
American politics. After being elected governor of Louisiana
in 1928, Long ran a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1930.
Then, having had bitter fight with Lieutenant Governor Paul Cyr, Long
called out the National Guard to prevent Cyr from taking office. In
1932, after making sure that he would be succeeded as governor by Alvin O.
King, a long-time loyal supporter, Long took his seat in the Senate.
In 1935, just when it seemed that his populist politics and patronage-based power structure might pose a
serious challenge to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's grip on the presidency,
Long was murdered by Carl Weiss, the son-in-law of one his many
political enemies. Weiss was immediately killed by Long's
bodyguards, and the motivation for the shooting has never been persuasively
explained.
Randy Newman,
"Every Man a King"
|
