Every Man A King

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Every Man a King

There is perhaps no individual in Louisiana History who was as charismatic, influential and “interesting” as that of Huey Long. In his autobiography, Every Man a King, Long shares his story from his childhood in the north Louisiana hills to his magnetic climb into Louisiana and American politics. Long, in Every Man a King, does an exemplary job in describing one of America’s most remarkable politicians [himself] through his own eyes.
Long was born in Winnfield, Winn Parish, Louisiana on August 30, 1893, the eight of nine children of a farmer. As a small boy, Long absorbed many of the ideas that came out of the Populist – Socialist traditions that were found in the region. He attended High School but had many troubles with the school officials and other local authorities and left the school before graduation. He sold vegetable oil door-to-door for four years. He conducted a cake-baking contest in Shreveport. The winner was Rose McConnell; they married in 1913. He told her that he would hold a secondary state office and would then become, in succession, governor, senator, and president; a job that allowed him to travel to several states, including Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma briefly to study law. He decided to become a lawyer and enrolled in the law School of Tulane University. He took courses for a year and was admitted to the bar. He began practicing law in his native state in 1915; first in Winnfield, but later moved to Shreveport. Long prospered as a lawyer, but had only used law as a jumping board into politics. He was elected a member of the Louisiana railroad commission in 1918; and later, in 1921, it enlarged in power and became known as the Public Service Commission.
Huey Long ran for governor in 1924 and lost, but ran again four years later – on the platform of building better roads and free textbooks for all school children. Long won. He was the first maj...