With the economy heading into a recession, we begin to remind ourselves of the past, more specifically the 1920’s and 30’s. In a time when economic depression had everyone fearful of the future, one man rose up against the norm, and fought till his death to revitalize America and its people.
Huey Pierce Long Jr. was born on August 30, 1893 in Winnfield, Louisiana to parents Huey Pierce Long Sr. and Caledonia Palestine Tison. Long was said to be an exceptional student growing up and was said to have photographic memory. He attended the University of Oklahoma School of Law and later Tulane University of Law. After only one year at Tulane, Long took the bar exam and passed. In 1913, at the age of 20, Long married Rose McConnell, a stenographer whom he had met at a baking contest. The two of them had a daughter Rose, and two sons Russell and Palmer.
Long started out taking on law suits against Standard Oil and other big corporations at a practice he opened in Shreveport, Louisiana. Their, he created a reputation for himself as the “defender of the friendless.” In 1918, Long was elected to the Louisiana Railroad Commission, which would later be known as the Louisiana Public Service Commission where he continued his work against Standard Oil and other large corporations.
With a reputation as a highly aggressive political populist and friend of the people noted by his slogan, "Every man a king, but no one wears a crown," Long was elected as the new Governor of Louisiana in 1928. As Governor, Long worked hard to rid the system of corruption and influence. After pushing through several bills and solidifying his system, Long took a seat in the U.S. Senate in January of 1932. Now with a seat in the Senate, Long attacked the Federal Reserve System, which he believed controlled the monetary system to their own benefit. Also feeling that Roosevelt’s New Deal system wasn’t doing enough, Long tried to redistribution of wealth through taxes. After his bill was denied,...