74
Severity Score

Huey Pierce Long Jr.

Governor of Louisiana (1928–1932); U.S. Senator from Louisiana (1932–1935)

Alleged Circumstantial
Abuse of Power Patronage Extortion

Quick Summary

Huey Long was one of the most powerful and controversial politicians in American history. As Governor and then Senator of Louisiana, he built a political machine of unmatched scope, wielding near-dictatorial control over state government, judiciary, and law enforcement. While he championed populist programs including free textbooks, road construction, and wealth redistribution through his "Share Our Wealth" movement, he did so through intimidation, political patronage, and the systematic corruption of democratic institutions. He was assassinated on September 10, 1935 before federal tax investigations could lead to formal charges.

Timeline of Events

August 30, 1893
Huey Pierce Long Jr. born in Winnfield, Winn Parish, Louisiana.
1918
Elected to the Louisiana Railroad Commission (later the Public Service Commission) at age 25, launching his political career by attacking Standard Oil.
May 1928
Elected Governor of Louisiana in a landslide, campaigning against Standard Oil and the old Bourbon Democrat establishment.
March–April 1929
Louisiana House of Representatives votes to impeach Long on 19 charges, including bribery, misuse of state funds, and intimidation. Long avoids conviction in the Senate by securing a "Round Robin" letter from 15 senators pledging to acquit, rendering a trial futile.
Louisiana House Journal, 1929; T. Harry Williams, Huey Long, 1969
1930–1932
Long consolidates power over Louisiana, pushing through legislation that gives the governor control over virtually every state agency, appointment, and contract. He creates a patronage army of state employees required to make "deducts" (mandatory salary contributions) to his political organization.
January 1932
Elected to the U.S. Senate but refuses to take his seat until 1932, continuing to control Louisiana through handpicked successor Governor O.K. Allen, widely seen as a puppet.
February 1934
Launches the "Share Our Wealth" program, proposing caps on personal wealth and redistribution through guaranteed family income. The movement attracts millions of members nationwide.
1934–1935
Long pushes through the Louisiana legislature a series of extraordinary laws centralizing power: abolishing local government autonomy, creating a state police answerable only to the governor, gaining power to appoint all election commissioners, and controlling all state hiring.
1935
The Treasury Department under Secretary Henry Morgenthau begins investigating Long and his associates for tax evasion. Multiple Long allies would later be indicted.
IRS Investigation Files; Morgenthau Diaries, Roosevelt Presidential Library
September 8, 1935
Dr. Carl Weiss, the son-in-law of a Long political opponent, shoots Long in the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Long's bodyguards kill Weiss with 61 bullets.
September 10, 1935
Huey Long dies at age 42 from internal bleeding following surgery. His last words reportedly were: "God, don't let me die. I have so much to do."
1939–1940
Federal investigations lead to the "Louisiana Scandals"—multiple Long associates convicted of tax evasion, mail fraud, and embezzlement, including President of LSU James Monroe Smith, Governor Richard Leche, and Seymour Weiss.
U.S. v. Leche, U.S. v. Smith, U.S. v. Weiss; Harnett T. Kane, Louisiana Hayride, 1941

The Details

Huey Long's political machine was built on a combination of genuine populist achievement and ruthless authoritarianism. He delivered real results: Louisiana's paved road mileage increased from 296 miles to 9,699 during his tenure. He provided free textbooks to schoolchildren, built a new state capitol, expanded LSU into a major university, and funded public hospitals. But these achievements were financed and maintained through systematic corruption of democratic norms.

The "deduct" system was the financial backbone of Long's machine. All state employees were required to contribute a percentage of their salaries, typically 5% to 10%, to Long's political war chest. Failure to contribute meant dismissal. This system generated hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, funds that Long used to finance campaigns, buy political support, and reward loyalty.

Long's control extended to every branch of government. His handpicked successor, Governor Oscar K. "O.K." Allen, was so compliant that a famous story has Allen signing a leaf that blew onto his desk. The state legislature operated as a rubber stamp, passing Long's bills sometimes within minutes of receiving them, often without reading or debate. In a single extraordinary session in 1934, the legislature passed 44 bills in five days.

Long used the state apparatus to punish enemies and reward allies. He created the Bureau of Criminal Identification (essentially a state secret police), gerrymandered districts to dilute opposition votes, and passed laws specifically targeting his opponents' businesses. When the city of Alexandria resisted his control, Long had a law passed stripping the city of its ability to collect taxes.

Opponents faced wiretapping, surveillance, and political destruction. The judiciary was stacked with Long allies. Election fraud was systematic: in some parishes, Long candidates received more votes than there were registered voters.

Note on Legal Status Long was never formally charged with any crime. His assassination in September 1935 came as federal tax investigations were building cases against him and his associates. The subsequent "Louisiana Scandals" of 1939–1940, which sent multiple Long allies to prison, suggest that Long himself would likely have faced charges had he lived.

What Happened

On September 8, 1935, Dr. Carl Weiss approached Long in the corridor of the Louisiana State Capitol and shot him once with a .32 caliber pistol. Long's bodyguards immediately killed Weiss, firing 61 bullets into his body. Long underwent emergency surgery but died from internal hemorrhaging on September 10, 1935, at age 42.

Long's death did not end the machine. His brother Earl Long and associates continued to dominate Louisiana politics. However, without Huey's charisma and discipline, the machine became sloppier. Federal investigations, which had been building during Long's lifetime, eventually led to the "Louisiana Scandals" of 1939–1940.

Governor Richard Leche pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to 10 years. LSU President James Monroe Smith was convicted of embezzling $500,000 and sentenced to 8–24 years. Seymour Weiss, Long's chief financial operative, was convicted of tax evasion. State Conservation Commissioner Robert Maestri, contractors, and various officials were also convicted.

Long's legacy remains deeply contested. He is honored in Louisiana with a statue in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, and LSU's football stadium is named for him. His populist programs were genuine. But the authoritarian methods he employed, the destruction of checks and balances, the use of state power against political enemies, the systematic extraction of money from state employees, constitute some of the most serious abuses of power in American state government history.

Financial Impact

$500,000+ (annual "deduct" collections from state employees, est.)
~$11 million (inflation-adjusted to 2026 dollars, annual deduct)

The total financial cost of Long's machine is difficult to quantify because so much was intertwined with legitimate state programs. The "deduct" system alone generated hundreds of thousands per year. The subsequent Louisiana Scandals revealed additional hundreds of thousands in embezzled state funds. LSU President Smith alone embezzled approximately $500,000 (over $11 million in 2026 dollars) from university accounts.

The broader cost includes the systematic degradation of democratic institutions in Louisiana, the chilling effect on political opposition, and the precedent of one-man rule that influenced Louisiana politics for decades afterward.

Connections

Oscar K. "O.K." Allen
Governor of Louisiana (1932–1936)
Long's handpicked successor who served as a rubber-stamp governor while Long ran the state from Washington. Died in office January 1936.
Seymour Weiss
Long's Chief Financial Operative
Managed Long's political finances and the deduct system. Convicted of federal tax evasion in 1940 as part of the Louisiana Scandals.
Richard Leche
Governor of Louisiana (1936–1939)
Long machine successor who expanded personal corruption. Pleaded guilty to mail fraud, sentenced to 10 years. Famous quote: "When I took the oath of office, I didn't take any vow of poverty."
Earl Long
Governor of Louisiana (three terms)
Huey's younger brother who continued the Long political dynasty. Served as governor three times, continuing populist programs and machine politics.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd President of the United States
Initial ally who became Long's chief rival. Long's Share Our Wealth movement threatened FDR's re-election. The Roosevelt Treasury Department was actively investigating Long when he was assassinated.

Sources

References & Citations

  • 1 BOOK T. Harry Williams, Huey Long (Alfred A. Knopf, 1969). Pulitzer Prize–winning biography.
  • 2 BOOK Richard D. White Jr., Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long (Random House, 2006).
  • 3 BOOK Harnett T. Kane, Louisiana Hayride: The American Rehearsal for Dictatorship, 1928–1940 (William Morrow, 1941).
  • 4 CONGRESS Louisiana House of Representatives, Articles of Impeachment against Governor Huey P. Long, 1929 (19 charges).
  • 5 COURT United States v. Leche, E.D. La. (1940); United States v. Smith, E.D. La. (1940)—Louisiana Scandals prosecutions.
  • 6 GOV REPORT Morgenthau Diaries, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Hyde Park, NY. Treasury Department investigation of Long and associates, 1934–1935.
  • 7 NEWS "Huey Long Is Dead of Bullet Wound; Had Led Louisiana as Near Dictator," The New York Times, September 10, 1935.
  • 8 BOOK Alan Brinkley, Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and the Great Depression (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982).