Primary Sources: The Great Depression and the 1930s: Long, Huey

"HueyLong.com is a production of the Long Legacy Project, a private, non-profit organization founded to educate the public about Huey P. Long, Jr.

This Web site incorporates publicly available resources, including historical accounts, statistics, photographs, documents and memorabilia, as well as privately held material from the Long family and personal interviews and remembrances."

Includes excerpts from Long's autobiographies from 1933 and 1935. Also includes Senate speeches.

"The Huey Long Digital Collection contains original documents concerning depression-era Louisiana and detailing Huey P. Long's "Share Our Wealth" program."

"This collection is comprised entirely of an album with photographs from 1928-1935. The black and white photographs depict Louisiana governor Huey P. Long; Russell Long; former Louisiana Governor Oramel Hinckley Simpson; James P. O'Connor, Public Service Commissioner; Louisiana Governor O. K. Allen; John Overton; U.S. Senator Hattie Carraway; and others."

Broadcast 7 March 1935, National Broadcasting Company, New York

"Huey Long, elected Governor of Louisiana in 1928 and U.S. Senator in 1930, ruled Louisiana as a virtual dictator, but he also initiated massive public works programs, improved public education and public health, and even established some restrictions on corporate power in the state. While Long was an early supporter of President Roosevelt, by the fall of 1933 the Long-Roosevelt alliance had ruptured, in part over Long’s growing interest in running for president. In 1934 Long organized his own, alternative political organization, the Share-Our-Wealth Society, through which he advocated a populist program for redistributing wealth through sharply graduated income and inheritance taxes. Hodding Carter, the liberal editor of the Daily Courier in his hometown of Hammond, Louisiana, however, repeatedly warned against Long’s corruption and demagoguery. When the New Republic published an attack on Long by Carter, it also ran this strong defense by one of Long’s closest associates, Gerald L. K. Smith." GMU History Matters

"Huey Long first came to national attention as governor of Louisiana in 1928 and U.S. Senator in 1930. He ruled Louisiana as a virtual dictator, but he also initiated massive public works programs, improved public education and public health, and even established some restrictions on corporate power in the state. While Long was an early supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, by the fall of 1933 the Long-Roosevelt alliance had ruptured, in part over Long’s growing interest in running for president. In 1934 Long organized his own, alternative political organization, the Share-Our-Wealth Society, through which he advocated a populist program for redistributing wealth through sharply graduated income and inheritance taxes. As his national recognition (and ambitions) grew, he spoke with increasing frequency to national radio audiences. No politician in this era—except Roosevelt himself and Long’s sometime ally, Father Charles Coughlin—used radio as frequently and effectively. In this April 1935 radio address, Long sharply criticized FDR and the New Deal and then sketched out his alternative program." GMU History Matters

"Huey Long first came to national attention as governor of Louisiana in 1928 and U.S. Senator in 1930. In 1934 Long organized his own, alternative political organization, the Share-Our-Wealth Society, through which he advocated a populist program for redistributing wealth through sharply graduated income and inheritance taxes. Long also garnered attention with his story-telling, his jokes, and his quick wit. He embraced the nickname “Kingfish” from a clownish character on the popular Amos and Andy radio show. He also adopted the slogan “Every Man a King, But No One Wears a Crown,” from a speech by the great populist speaker William Jennings Bryan, then popularized it by writing a song, “Every Man a King,” and singing it over the radio and on newsreels. Not everyone was captivated by Long’s oratory, humor, or singing, however. Hodding Carter, the liberal editor of the Daily Courier in Hammond, Louisiana, repeatedly warned against Long’s corruption and demagoguery." GMU History Matters