The Kingfish and His Realm: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long

Rating:
Summary: Sorry, Not as Good as T. Harry's Book
Review: A slightly flawed account of the life of the Louisiana despot because it rarely takes account of the true feeling of warmth that many of his electorate felt for him. Focusing mainly on his political manouvering and manipulation of the media and the electorate puts his few good deeds in the shade. However, the wealth of sources and quotes are impressive - my favourite by Long's younger brother, Earl, talking about O.K. Allen who was governor when Long assumed his senatorship: "If a leaf blew in through O.K.'s window and landed on his desk he'd sign it."

Rating:
Summary: Sorry, Not as Good as T. Harry's Book
Review: Although it's readable, it's not as good as T. Harry's classic

Rating:
Summary: A needed corrective
Review: I read and was mightily impressed by T. Harry Williams' 1970 Pulitzer-prize-winning Huey Long biography. but when I read it (July 5, 1970) I thought it was far too favorable to Huey. This book, fortuantely, corrects that and is far more chilling in illustrating the methods of Huey. We often wonder how the German people could have let Hitler attain power and even some wonder why he remained in power. Huey Long was not on the level of unmitigated evil that Hitler was, but in his disregard for the rule of law and the basic tenets of democratic government he was as frightening a phenomenom as has come across the American scene that I am aware of. And when one reflects how revered he is still in Louisiana--his statue is in Statutory Hall in Washington, anybody related to him got elected in Louisiana, etc.--it is apparent that his dictatorship was popular. Apparently most people thought his disregard for law and democratic behavior was ok because they felt they were better off because of it. In St. Bernard parish in 1932 Long's slate for state office received 3,152 votes. There were 2,194 registered voters in the parish. The opposition candidates received 0 votes. This kind of voter fraud makes Hitler's wins by 98%, etc., seem honest by comparison. This is a stunning book and should be read after reading Williams' book so that one gets the whole picture of a stunning situation in American history.

Rating:
Summary: A needed corrective
Review: I read and was mightily impressed by T. Harry Williams' 1970 Pulitzer-prize-winning Huey Long biography. but when I read it (July 5, 1970) I thought it was far too favorable to Huey. This book, fortuantely, corrects that and is far more chilling in illustrating the methods of Huey. We often wonder how the German people could have let Hitler attain power and even some wonder why he remained in power. Huey Long was not on the level of unmitigated evil that Hitler was, but in his disregard for the rule of law and the basic tenets of democratic government he was as frightening a phenomenom as has come across the American scene that I am aware of. And when one reflects how revered he is still in Louisiana--his statue is in Statutory Hall in Washington, anybody related to him got elected in Louisiana, etc.--it is apparent that his dictatorship was popular. Apparently most people thought his disregard for law and democratic behavior was ok because they felt they were better off because of it. In St. Bernard parish in 1932 Long's slate for state office received 3,152 votes. There were 2,194 registered voters in the parish. The opposition candidates received 0 votes. This kind of voter fraud makes Hitler's wins by 98%, etc., seem honest by comparison. This is a stunning book and should be read after reading Williams' book so that one gets the whole picture of a stunning situation in American history.

Rating:
Summary: well-written, lacks details and is often too biased
Review: Let me begin by saying this book is a good read. It is fast, and very well written. The book also has good information about Huey Long: the Man, rather than just the politician. But Hair often edges on the psychoanalytic and it can be rather irritating at times. Also, Hair lacks focus. When he has a chapter about Huey Long as a Lawyer, or a RR Commissioner, he often segways on the history of race in Louisiana (without a significant connection to warrant the segway). The book also skips over too much of Long's career. For instance, Hair has a chapter about Huey Long on the Railroad Commission, but never mentions how Long manipulated the members to dominate the board, or the Cumberland Rate Case, which essentially made Huey Long a political entity in Louisiana. Instead Hair focuses on Gov. Parker and Huey's relationship with him. So we get no insights on Hair's opinion of Long's dealings on the board. We do however get interesting personal tidbits about Huey Long's life, which are interesting(enough of a reason to buy the book). Hair is also blatantly biased. When he discusses Mayor Behrman and the Choctaw/Old Regular machine, he often justifies its actions as beneficial to the electorate and excuses good portions of its corruption as a side-effect. But when he focuses on Long, he dismisses what Huey did, as dictatorial and is often more critical of Long than he is about the machine. Even though Long did do more to reduce disenfranchisement amongst the poor (whites, and set the stage for blacks), Hair ignores that. Hair also ignores the immense warmth of the majority of Louisianan's had for Long. Huey could not have done what he did, without a significant mandate. If you want a more balanced book, there isn't one. No book, ever written on Long is really objective. If one wants information on Huey's career, this book should not be the first pick, it simply leaves out too much. The T. Harry Williams book is far better in documenting his career. Read T. Harry's book first, then read Huey Long Invades New Orleans by Boulard, then read this book. There is tons of literature on Huey Long, and this book is quite good, so read it, but don't just read this one, and don't read this one first.