The Country Boss Huey Long and His Incredible Machine
Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Doenecke, Justus
Keywords
Long, Huey, Louisiana, Political Machine
Area of Concentration
History
Abstract
This thesis is an effort to reconcile the contradictory facets of Huey Long's career in Louisiana. The Kingfish can rightly be called the king of postreconstruction radical politicians, mobilizing the isolated rural voters successfully for an unprecedented span of seven years. No other radical southern leader was able to so successfully transform state politics and effectively displace the former governing elite. In doing so, however, Long created and maintained one of the most powerful statewide political machines the United States has yet to see. The tactics used to build such an effective organization often undermined the very legislative program that Long used to mobilize his country base. The author asserts that Long had a compulsive need to dominate anyone and anything with whom he came into contact, leading him into politics. His birth and maturation in the radical stronghold of Winn Parish imbued him with the populist values with which he mesmerized Louisiana countryside. Long's insecure need to dominate his environment led him to ceaselessly grasp power and patronage until he controlled every job under state and municipal government control. The transcribed interviews of Long's associates located in the Hill Memorial Library at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge served as the major focus of the author's primary source research. The archives of the Louisiana Progress at the Hill Memorial Library were also used extensively. Testimony from senate hearings concerning the seating of John Overton proved invaluable in analyzing Long's machine.
Recommended Citation
Portner, Andrew, "The Country Boss Huey Long and His Incredible Machine" (2003). Theses & ETDs. 3291.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/3291
Rights
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