Editing Huey Long (section)

===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>