Huey P. Long in FDR's New Deal
Huey P. Long (1893–1935) was a charismatic Louisiana politician who served as both Governor and U.S. Senator in the early 1930s. A popular—if also, in the eyes of his critics at least, corrupt and demagogic—politician, Long's career was cut short when he was assassinated inside the Louisiana statehouse in 1935. Long was also the inspiration for Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer prize-winning novel All the King’s Men, published in 1946.
Long rose to national prominence during the Great Depression by becoming the country's most impassioned advocate of redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor. More than 7 million Americans joined Long's Share Our Wealth clubs.
For more on Long, head over to our learning guide on his "Every Man a King" speech.