Throughout the Great Depression, there were many people looking for answers.
They were prepared to follow anyone who might have an easy cure for the nation’s woes.
One of these men was Huey P. Long.
Who was this man?
What were his solutions?
During the 1930s, many politicians, labor leaders, and preachers were making a name
for themselves.
They used everyone’s fear, anxiety, and anger as a tool to climb through the ranks
of power.
Many of these leaders became known as “demagogues”.
The most prominent of the demagogues was Huey P. Long, nicknamed “the Kingfish”.
Huey Long was born in 1893.
He grew up in a very poor region of Louisiana, yet his own family was quite well off.
He studied law at Tulane University and jumped right into politics at an early age.
He ran for governor in 1924 and lost, then ran again in 1928 and won.
In 1930, he ran for the U.S. Senate and won that too!
By 1935, he was easily the most powerful man in the state of Louisiana.
Economic conditions were terrible in Louisiana in the 1930s.
Long accomplished much of his success by appealing to poor farmers and factory laborers with
a “poor against the wealthy” mentality.
He also delivered on many of the promises he made during his campaign.
These promises included paving roads and building public schools.
He informed his followers that 65% of the nation’s wealth was controlled by 2% of
the population.
He preached a message that “every man is a king, but no one wears a crown,” and used
the slogan “Share the Wealth”.
Long argued that there should be limits placed on how much wealth a person could acquire.
Anything beyond that level would be redistributed to others.
He believed that every deserving family should be given $5,000.
He promised that under his system, every family would be guaranteed an annual income of $2,000
to $3,000, a 30 hour work week, one month of vacation a year, old age pensions, and
free college education for deserving students.
Suddenly, “Share the Wealth” clubs began springing up all over the country.
There were more than 27,000 clubs with over 4.6 million members.
He received thousands of letters of support from across the nation.
As the Kingfish’s message continued to spread, he began to set his sights on the big prize—
being elected President of the United States.
Long was not only popular in his home state, but had large amounts of support throughout
the country.
However, on September 8, 1935, Long had returned to Louisiana.
As he was walking towards the governor’s office, a man in a white suit stepped out
from behind a pillar and fired a single shot into Senator Long.
Long’s bodyguards opened fire and gunned down the assassin, leaving 61 bullets in the
gunman’s body.
Long was rushed to a hospital where he died 30 hours later.
Tens of thousands of Louisianans turned out for the Kingfish’s funeral.
His death was mourned by people across the nation.
He was buried on the grounds of the state capitol building, which now has a statue featuring
his likeness.
He has also been honored with a statue in the United States Capitol Building.