Editing Huey Long (section)

==Louisiana governorship (1928–1932)==

===First year===
[[File:Old Louisiana Governor's Mansion Long's office.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph of Long's desk in an office|Long's office in the [[Old Louisiana Governor's Mansion|Governor's Mansion]]]]
Once in office on May 21, 1928, Long moved quickly to consolidate power, firing hundreds of opponents in the state bureaucracy at all ranks from cabinet-level heads of departments to state road workers. Like previous governors, he filled the vacancies with [[Spoils system|patronage appointments]] from his network of political supporters.<ref name="sleazy"/><ref>[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], pp. 23–24.</ref><ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 26"/> Every state employee who depended on Long for a job was expected to pay a portion of their salary at election time directly into his campaign fund.<ref>[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 27.</ref>

Once his control over the state's political apparatus was strengthened, Long pushed several bills through the 1929 session of the [[Louisiana State Legislature]] to fulfill campaign promises. His bills met opposition from legislators, wealthy citizens, and the media, but Long used aggressive tactics to ensure passage. He would appear unannounced on the floor of both the [[Louisiana House of Representatives|House]] and [[Louisiana Senate|Senate]] or in House committees, corralling reluctant representatives and state senators and bullying opponents.<ref>[[#Hair|Hair (1996)]], p. 31.</ref><ref>[[#Dethloff|Dethloff (1976)]], p. 79.</ref> When an opposing legislator once suggested Long was unfamiliar with the [[Constitution of Louisiana|Louisiana Constitution]], he declared, "I'm the Constitution around here now."<ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], p. 64.</ref><ref>[[#Sanson|Sanson (2006)]], p. 265.</ref>

One program Long approved was a free textbook program for schoolchildren. Long's free school books angered Catholics, who usually sent their children to private schools. Long assured them that the books would be granted directly to all children, regardless of whether they attended public school. Yet this assurance was criticized by conservative [[Constitutionalism#United States|constitutionalists]], who claimed it violated the [[Separation of church and state in the United States|separation of church and state]] and sued Long. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in Long's favor.<ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], pp. 65–66.</ref><ref>{{cite court |litigants=Cochran v. Board of Education |vol=281 |reporter=U.S. |opinion=370 |court=[[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S.]] |date=1930-04-28 |url=https://casetext.com/case/cochran-v-board-of-education |access-date=2023-04-16}}</ref>

Irritated by "immoral" gambling dens and brothels in New Orleans, Long sent the [[Louisiana Army National Guard|National Guard]] to raid these establishments with orders to "shoot without hesitation". Gambling equipment was burned, prostitutes were arrested, and over $25,000 ({{Inflation|US|25000|1928|2020|fmt=eq}}) was confiscated for government funds. Local newspapers ran photos of National Guardsmen forcibly searching nude women. City authorities had not requested military force, and martial law had not been declared. The Louisiana attorney general denounced Long's actions as illegal but Long rebuked him, saying: "Nobody asked him for his opinion."<ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], pp. 67–68.</ref>

Despite wide disapproval, Long had the Governor's Mansion, built in 1887, razed by convicts from the [[Louisiana State Penitentiary|State Penitentiary]] under his personal supervision.<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 26"/> In its place, Long had a much [[Old Louisiana Governor's Mansion|larger Georgian mansion]] built. It bore a strong resemblance to the [[White House]]; he reportedly wanted to be familiar with the residence when he became president.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/ogov.htm|title=Old Louisiana Governor's Mansion|website=[[National Park Service]]|publisher=[[US Department of the Interior]]|access-date=June 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122045047/https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/ogov.htm|archive-date=November 22, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], pp. 115–16.</ref>

===Impeachment===
[[File:BatonRougeOldStateCapitolSouthFascadeFromSouthwestKaminsky.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of the Old Louisiana State Capitol, a Gothic style building|Long's impeachment was conducted at the [[Old Louisiana State Capitol]].]]
In 1929, Long called a special legislative session to enact a five-cent per barrel tax on refined oil production to fund his social programs.<ref>[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 24.</ref> The state's oil interests opposed the bill. Long declared in a radio address that any legislator who refused to support the tax had been "bought" by oil companies. Instead of persuading the legislature, the accusation infuriated many of its members.<ref>[[#Hair|Hair (1996)]], pp. 177–78.</ref> The "dynamite squad", a caucus of opponents led by freshman lawmakers [[Cecil Morgan]] and [[Ralph Norman Bauer]], introduced an [[Impeachment in the United States|impeachment]] resolution against Long.<ref name="Kane 1971, p. 71">[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], p. 71.</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 20, 1999|title=Cecil Morgan; led group that impeached Huey Long|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-20-me-48502-story.html|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=August 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831143730/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-20-me-48502-story.html|archive-date=August 31, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Nineteen charges were listed, ranging from [[blasphemy]] to subornation of murder.<ref name="impeach"/>{{efn|group=note|One of Long's subordinates claimed in an affidavit that an intoxicated Long had told him to kill Representative [[Jared Y. Sanders Jr.|J. Y. Sanders Jr.]], the son of a former governor, and "leave him in the ditch where nobody will know how or when he got there". Long allegedly promised him "a full pardon and many gold dollars".<ref name="Kane 1971, p. 71"/><ref name="impeach"/>}} Even Long's lieutenant governor, [[Paul N. Cyr|Paul Cyr]], supported impeachment; he accused Long of [[nepotism]] and alleged he had made corrupt deals with a Texas oil company.<ref name="White 2006, p. 65">[[#White|White (2006)]], p. 65.</ref>{{efn|group=note|Cyr's public turn against Long was largely motivated by Cyr's opposition to the executions of alleged murderers Thomas Dreher and Ada LeBoeuf, the first white woman executed in Louisiana's history. Cyr was a personal friend of Dreher and sat on the Board of Pardons, which had reversed their death sentence. Long wholeheartedly supported their execution, ultimately overruling the Board's decision.<ref name="White 2006, p. 65" /><ref>[[#White|White (2006)]], pp. 58–59.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Quinlan|first=Adriane|date=October 5, 2014|title=Nearly 90 years after first woman hanged in Louisiana, the case still intrigues, newspaper reports|url=https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_a04f46ec-6080-5ba2-a517-0c98359bcffe.html|work=Nola|access-date=September 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907173322/https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_a04f46ec-6080-5ba2-a517-0c98359bcffe.html|archive-date=September 7, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Concerned, Long tried to close the session. Pro-Long Speaker [[John B. Fournet]] called for a vote to adjourn. Despite most representatives opposing adjournment, the electronic voting board tallied 68 ayes and 13 nays. This sparked confusion; anti-Long representatives began chanting that the voting machine had been rigged.{{efn|group=note|Fournet later apologized for the confusion caused by the inaccurate tally but denied rigging the outcome. According to Hair, "there is no evidence that he did; electrical contrivances of that sort were primitive, and apparently the machine simply repeated the roll call vote of a few minutes earlier".<ref>[[#Hair|Hair (1996)]], p. 180.</ref>}} Some ran for the speaker's chair to call for a new vote but met resistance from their pro-Long colleagues,<ref>[[#Hair|Hair (1996)]], pp. 179–80.</ref> sparking a brawl later known as "Bloody Monday".<ref name="impeach">{{cite magazine |date=April 8, 1929|title=Political Notes: Louisiana's Kaiser|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/printout/0,8816,732219,00.html|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|location=New York |access-date=June 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616010130/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/printout/0,8816,732219,00.html|archive-date=June 16, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In the scuffle, legislators threw [[inkwells]], allegedly attacked others with [[brass knuckles]], and Long's brother Earl bit a legislator's neck.<ref name="heritage"/><ref name="Brinkley p 25">[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 25.</ref> Following the fight, the legislature voted to remain in session and proceed with impeachment.<ref name="impeached">{{cite news|last=Butler|first=Charles|date=September 5, 2015|title=Long escaped early impeachment try|url=https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/opinion/2015/09/06/long-escaped-early-impeachment-try/71714218/|work=[[The Shreveport Times]]|access-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611224715/https://www.shreveporttimes.com/get-access/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shreveporttimes.com%2Fstory%2Fopinion%2F2015%2F09%2F06%2Flong-escaped-early-impeachment-try%2F71714218%2F|archive-date=June 11, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Proceedings in the house took place with dozens of witnesses, including a [[hula]] dancer who claimed that Long had been "frisky" with her.<ref name="sleazy"/> Impeached on eight of the 19 charges,{{efn|group=note|The charges were: attempted bribery of state legislators, demanding and receiving undated letters of resignation from appointees, intimidating publisher Charles P. Manship by threatening to disclose his brother's poor mental condition, misappropriating portions of a $6,000 fund allocated for receiving other governors, forcing a state board to dismiss its secretary to open up a position for a political ally and paying the incumbent secretary $5,400 in [[hush money]], illegally paying his cousin W. O. Long $728.25 from the governor's office expense fund, using $1,112.40 from the office expense fund to purchase personal law books, forcing the Highway Commission to accede to a contractor's demand for $4,000 in payment for their installation of defective curbs, and incompetency.<ref>[[#Harris|Harris (1938)]], pp. 59–61, 65.</ref>}} Long was the third Louisiana governor charged in the state's history, following [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]] [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] [[Henry Clay Warmoth]] and [[William Pitt Kellogg]].<ref name="Kane 1971, p. 71"/><ref name="Brinkley p 25"/>

Long was frightened by the prospect of conviction, for it would force him from the governorship and permanently disqualify him from holding public office in Louisiana.<ref>[[#Hair|Hair (1996)]], pp. 182–83.</ref> He took his case to the people with a mass meeting in Baton Rouge, where he alleged that impeachment was a ploy by Standard Oil to thwart his programs.<ref name="Brinkley p 25"/> The House referred the charges to the Louisiana Senate, in which conviction required a two-thirds majority. Long produced a [[Round-robin (document)|round robin]] statement signed by fifteen senators pledging to vote "not guilty" regardless of the evidence. The impeachment process, now futile, was suspended without holding an [[impeachment trial]]. It has been alleged that both sides used bribes to buy votes and that Long later rewarded the round robin signers with positions or other favors.<ref>[[#White|White (2006)]], pp. 88–89.</ref><ref>[[#Williams|Williams (1981) [1969]]], pp. 403–06.</ref>

Following the failed impeachment attempt, Long treated his opponents ruthlessly. He fired their relatives from state jobs and supported their challengers in elections. Long concluded that extra-legal means would be needed to accomplish his goals: "I used to try to get things done by saying 'please.' Now... I dynamite 'em out of my path."<ref>[[#Parrish|Parrish (1994)]], p. 164.</ref> Receiving death threats, he surrounded himself with bodyguards.<ref name="hamby">[[#Hamby|Hamby (2004)]], p. 263.</ref> Now a resolute critic of the [[lying press|"lying" press]],<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 26">[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 26.</ref> <!-- Long tried to place a surtax on newspapers and forbid the publication of "slanderous material", but these efforts were defeated. (Source needed)--> Long established his own newspaper in March 1930: the ''[[American Progress (newspaper)|Louisiana Progress]]''. The paper was extremely popular, widely distributed by policemen, highway workers, and government truckers.<ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 26"/><ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], pp. 78–79.</ref><ref>[[#Warren|Warren (2008)]], p. 379.</ref>

===Senate campaign===
Shortly after the impeachment, Long—now nicknamed "The Kingfish" after an ''[[Amos 'n' Andy]]'' character—announced his candidacy for the [[U.S. Senate]] in the 1930 Democratic primary.<ref name="heritage"/><ref>[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], pp. 36–37.</ref> He framed his campaign as a [[referendum]]. If he won, he presumed the public supported his programs over the opposition of the legislature. If he lost, he promised to resign.<ref name="heritage"/>

His opponent was incumbent [[Joseph E. Ransdell]], the Catholic senator whom Long endorsed in 1924.<ref name="Jeansonne 1989 p. 287">[[#Jeansonne|Jeansonne (1989)]], p. 287.</ref> At 72 years old, Ransdell had served in the [[U.S. Congress]] since Long was aged six. Aligned with the establishment, Ransdell had the support of all 18 of the state's daily newspapers.<ref name="heritage"/><ref name="kane107"/> To combat this, Long purchased two new $30,000 sound trucks and distributed over two million circulars.<ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], p. 108.</ref> Although promising not to make personal attacks, Long seized on Ransdell's age, calling him "Old Feather Duster".<ref name="kane107">[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], p. 107.</ref> The campaign became increasingly vicious, with ''[[The New York Times]]'' calling it "as amusing as it was depressing".<ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], p. 109.</ref> Long critic Sam Irby,{{efn|group=note|Irby was the uncle of Alice Lee Grosjean, Long's young personal secretary, whom he had appointed to the position of [[Secretary of State of Louisiana|Secretary of State]]. She was rumored to be his mistress.<ref name="heritage"/><ref name="sleazy"/>}} set to testify on Long's corruption to state authorities, was abducted by Long's bodyguards shortly before the election. Irby emerged after the election; he had been missing for four days. Surrounded by Long's guards, he gave a radio address in which he "confessed" that he had actually asked Long for protection.<ref name="heritage"/><ref name="sleazy"/><ref>[[#Jeansonne|Jeansonne (1989)]], pp. 289–90.</ref> The New Orleans mayor labelled it "the most heinous public crime in Louisiana history".<ref name="sleazy"/>

Ultimately, on September 9, 1930, Long defeated Ransdell by 149,640 (57.3 percent) to 111,451 (42.7 percent).<ref>[[#Kane|Kane (1971)]], p. 113.</ref><ref name="Brinkley 2011 p. 29">[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 29.</ref> There were accusations of voter fraud against Long; voting records showed people voting in alphabetical order, among them celebrities like [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Jack Dempsey]] and [[Babe Ruth]].<ref name="leg"/>
Although his Senate term began on March 4, 1931, Long completed most of his four-year term as governor, which did not end until May 1932. He declared that leaving the seat vacant would not hurt Louisiana: "[W]ith Ransdell as Senator, the seat was vacant anyway." By occupying the governorship until January 25, 1932, Long prevented Lieutenant Governor Cyr, who threatened to undo Long's reforms, from succeeding to the office.<ref name="Hair p221-222"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/expulsion_cases/117LongOverton_expulsion.htm|title=Long/Overton Expulsion|publisher=[[United States Senate]]|access-date=July 22, 2020|archive-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722194657/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/expulsion_cases/117LongOverton_expulsion.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 1931, Cyr learned Long was in Mississippi and declared himself the state's legitimate governor.<ref>[[#White|White (2006)]], pp. 132–33.</ref> In response, Long ordered National Guard troops to surround the Capitol to block Cyr's "coup d'état" and petitioned the Louisiana Supreme Court.<ref name="Hair p221-222">[[#Hair|Hair (1996)]], pp. 221–22.</ref><ref name="Jeansonne 1989 p. 287"/> Long successfully argued that Cyr had vacated the office of lieutenant-governor when trying to assume the governorship and had the court eject Cyr.<ref name="Hair p221-222"/><ref>{{cite court|litigants=State ex rel. Cyr v. Long|court=La.|vol=140|reporter=So.|opinion=13|date=January 22, 1932|url=https://cite.case.law/la/174/169/5422521/}}</ref>

===Senator-elect===
Now governor and senator-elect, Long returned to completing his legislative agenda with renewed strength. He continued his intimidating practice of presiding over the legislature,{{efn|group=note|Long would stand directly below the Speaker's podium while strong-arming the legislators into passing his agenda.<ref name="brinkley28"/>}} shouting "Shut up!" or "Sit down!" when legislators voiced their concerns. In a single night, Long passed 44 bills in just two hours: one every three minutes. He later explained his tactics: "[[Consequentialism|The end justifies the means]]."<ref name="brinkley28">[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 28.</ref> Long endorsed pro-Long candidates and wooed others with favors; he often joked his legislature was the "finest collection of lawmakers money can buy".<ref name="FDR"/> He organized and concentrated his power into a [[political machine]]: "a one-man" operation, according to Williams.<ref>[[#Williams|Williams (1981) [1969]]], p. 255.</ref> He placed his brother Earl in charge of allotting patronage appointments to local politicians and signing state contracts with businessmen in exchange for loyalty. Long appointed allies to key government positions, such as giving [[Robert Maestri]] the office of Conservation Commissioner and making [[Oscar K. Allen]] head of the [[Louisiana Highway Commission]]. Maestri would deliberately neglect the regulation of energy companies in exchange for industry donations to Long's campaign fund, while Allen took direction from Earl on which construction and supply companies to contract for road work.<ref>[[#Kurtz|Kurtz & Peoples (1991)]], Chapter 2: Political Baptism.</ref> Concerned by these tactics, Long's opponents charged he had become the virtual dictator of the state.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Latson|first=Jennifer|date=September 8, 2015|title=The Strange Career of Assassinated Louisiana Politician Huey Long|url=https://time.com/4020709/huey-long-anniversary/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|location=New York|access-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120033237/https://time.com/4020709/huey-long-anniversary/|archive-date=November 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

To address record low cotton prices amid a [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] surplus, Long proposed the major cotton-producing states mandate a 1932 "[[Cotton-Holiday|cotton holiday]]", which would ban cotton production for the entire year.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], p. 138.</ref> He further proposed that the holiday be imposed internationally, which some nations, such as [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]], supported.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], pp. 144–45.</ref> In 1931, Long convened the New Orleans Cotton Conference, attended by delegates from every major cotton-producing state.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], pp. 139–40, 147.</ref> The delegates agreed to codify Long's proposal into law on the caveat that it would not come into effect until states producing three-quarters of U.S. cotton passed such laws.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], pp. 147–49.</ref> As the proposer, Louisiana unanimously passed the legislation.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], p. 152.</ref> When conservative politicians in Texas—the largest cotton producer in the U.S.—rejected the measure, the holiday movement collapsed.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], pp. 154–58.</ref> Although traditional politicians would have been ruined by such a defeat, Long became a national figure and cemented his image as a champion of the poor.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], pp. 158–60.</ref> Senator [[Carter Glass]], although a fervid critic of Long, credited him with first suggesting [[artificial scarcity]] as a solution to the depression.<ref>[[#Cotton|Snyder (1977)]], p. 160.</ref>

===Accomplishments===
[[File:Louisiana State Capitol Building.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph of the Louisiana State Capitol, a tall, art-deco tower.|Long constructed a [[Louisiana State Capitol|new capitol building]], which, at {{convert|450|ft|m}}, remains the tallest capitol in the United States.]]
Long was unusual among southern populists in that he achieved tangible progress. Williams concluded "the secret of Long's power, in the final analysis, was not in his machine or his political dealings but in his record—he delivered something".<ref name="sanson273"/> Referencing Long's contributions to Louisiana, [[Robert Penn Warren]], a professor at LSU during Long's term as governor,<ref>{{cite news|last=Viator|first=Gunnar|date=October 29, 2019|title='It started here in Allen Hall': LSU boasts rich literary history, prominent literary figures|url=https://www.lsureveille.com/news/it-started-here-in-allen-hall-lsu-boasts-rich-literary-history-prominent-literary-figures/article_4bbe22ea-fa9e-11e9-84c4-1382fc303378.html|work=[[The Daily Reveille|Reveille]]|location=Baton Rouge|access-date=August 15, 2020|archive-date=December 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224200218/https://www.lsureveille.com/news/it-started-here-in-allen-hall-lsu-boasts-rich-literary-history-prominent-literary-figures/article_4bbe22ea-fa9e-11e9-84c4-1382fc303378.html|url-status=live}}</ref> stated: "Dictators, always give something for what they get."<ref name="sanson273">[[#Sanson|Sanson (2006)]], p. 273.</ref>

Long created a public works program that was unprecedented in the South, constructing roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and state buildings. During his four years as governor, Long increased paved highways in Louisiana from {{convert|331|to|2,301|mi|km}} and constructed {{convert|2816|mi|km|0}} of gravel roads. By 1936, the infrastructure program begun by Long had completed some {{convert|9700|mi|km|-2}} of new roads, doubling Louisiana's road system. He built 111 bridges and started construction on the first bridge over the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] entirely in Louisiana, the [[Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)|Huey P. Long Bridge]]. These projects provided thousands of jobs during the depression: Louisiana employed more highway workers than any other state.<ref>[[#Williams|Williams (1981) [1969]]], p. 546−547.</ref> Long built a [[Louisiana State Capitol|State Capitol]], which at {{convert|450|ft|m}} tall remains the tallest capitol, state or federal, in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://house.louisiana.gov/pubinfo/VirtualTour/lacaphistory.htm|title=Louisiana Capitol History and Tour|publisher=[[Louisiana House of Representatives]]|access-date=July 18, 2020|quote=The building stands 450 feet tall (34 floors,) making it the tallest capitol in the United States.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718133142/https://house.louisiana.gov/pubinfo/VirtualTour/lacaphistory.htm|archive-date=July 18, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Long's infrastructure spending increased the state government's debt from $11&nbsp;million in 1928 to $150&nbsp;million in 1935.<ref>[[#Sanson|Sanson (2006)]], p. 270.</ref>

Long was an ardent supporter of the state's flagship public university, [[Louisiana State University]] (LSU). Having been unable to attend, Long now regarded it as "his" university.<ref name="lsu"/> He increased LSU's funding and intervened in the university's affairs, expelling seven students who criticized him in the [[The Daily Reveille|school newspaper]].<ref name="brinkley30"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Gallo|first=Andrea|date=October 23, 2013|title=Reveille Rebels: Reveille Seven's clash with Huey P. Long leaves lasting legacy|url=https://www.lsureveille.com/news/reveille-rebels-reveille-seven-s-clash-with-huey-p-long-leaves-lasting-legacy/article_b7ff10aa-3c3a-11e3-b424-001a4bcf6878.htmlGallo|work=[[The Daily Reveille|Reveille]]|location=Baton Rouge|access-date=July 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718023013/https://www.lsureveille.com/news/reveille-rebels-reveille-seven-s-clash-with-huey-p-long-leaves-lasting-legacy/article_b7ff10aa-3c3a-11e3-b424-001a4bcf6878.html|archive-date=July 18, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> He constructed new buildings, including [[Huey P. Long Field House|a fieldhouse]] that reportedly contained the longest pool in the United States.<ref name="lsu"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Schardt|first=Julian|date=January 6, 2015|title=Huey P. Long Field House to undergo renovations|url=https://www.lsureveille.com/daily/huey-p-long-field-house-to-undergo-renovations/article_1b9b7ed4-a5b0-11e4-ae1e-5b6e69689a1c.html|work=[[The Daily Reveille|Reveille]]|location=Baton Rouge|access-date=July 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703175620/https://www.lsureveille.com/daily/huey-p-long-field-house-to-undergo-renovations/article_1b9b7ed4-a5b0-11e4-ae1e-5b6e69689a1c.html|archive-date=July 3, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="brinkley30">[[#Brinkley|Brinkley (1983) [1982]]], p. 30.</ref> Long founded an [[LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans|LSU Medical School]] in New Orleans.<ref name="hospital">[[#Jeansonne|Jeansonne (1989)]], p. 294.</ref>{{efn|group=note|Although he claimed it was to educate poor doctors, it may have been based on a personal vendetta against [[Tulane University]], which had declined to grant him an honorary degree.<ref name="hospital"/>}} To raise the stature of the [[LSU Tigers football|football program]], he converted the school's military marching band into the flashy "[[Louisiana State University Tiger Marching Band|Show Band of the South]]" and hired [[Costa Rican]] composer [[Castro Carazo]] as the band director.<ref name="lsu"/> As well as nearly doubling the size of [[Tiger Stadium (LSU)|the stadium]],<ref name="lsu"/> he arranged for lowered train fares, so students could travel to away games. Long's contributions resulted in LSU gaining a class A accreditation from the [[Association of American Universities]].<ref name="lsu">{{cite news|last=Baus|first=Mary Walker|date=October 15, 2009|title=Huey P. Long's legacy, impact still linger|url=https://www.lsureveille.com/news/huey-p-longs-legacy-impact-still-linger/article_54068448-ffa6-51fe-bcbf-fe215b00cbbd.html|work=[[The Daily Reveille|Reveille]]|location=Baton Rouge|access-date=July 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626201020/https://www.lsureveille.com/news/huey-p-longs-legacy-impact-still-linger/article_54068448-ffa6-51fe-bcbf-fe215b00cbbd.html|archive-date=June 26, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Long's night schools taught 100,000 adults to read.<ref name="FDR"/> His provision of free textbooks<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002673823&seq=10 Huey Pierce Long, the martyr of the age ... A publication of the Louisiana state museum. New Orleans, U.S.A. Issued November 11, 1937]</ref> contributed to a 20-percent increase in school enrollment.<ref>[[#Long1|Long (1933)]], p. xvii.</ref> He modernized public health facilities and ensured adequate conditions for the mentally ill.<ref name="brinkley30"/> He established Louisiana's first rehabilitation program for penitentiary inmates.<ref>[[#Pleasant|Pleasant Jr. (1974)]], p. 357.</ref> Through tax reform, Long made the first $2,000 in property assessment free, waiving [[property taxes]] for half the state's homeowners.<ref>[[#Vaughn|Vaughn (1979)]], p. 100.</ref> Some historians have criticized other policies, like high consumer taxes on gasoline and cigarettes, a reduced [[mother's pension]], and low teacher salaries.<ref>[[#Vaughn|Vaughn (1979)]], p. 95.</ref> Several labor laws were also enacted during Long's time as governor.<ref>[https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/labor-legislation-1912-32-3905/labor-legislation-1928-493126 Labor Legislation of 1928 : Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 486, P.12-14]</ref><ref>[https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/labor-legislation-1912-32-3905/labor-legislation-1930-493128 Labor Legislation, 1930 : Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. 552, P.10]</ref>