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

William Ivy Hair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

“The best biography of Long written to date.”—New Orleans Times-Picayune “A remarkable work. . . . Of all the biographies of Huey Long, [Hair’s] best captures the atmosphere of public life in the Pelican State. . . . Written with passion and mordant wit, the book is literally hard to put down.”—Reviews in American History “Well proportioned and tartly written, Hair’s book is notable for its conceptualization and exhaustive research, for its analysis of Long’s extraordinary control of Louisiana and his role in national politics, and for its interpretation of the Long phenomenon.”—Journal of American History “A masterly biography of the redneck messiah. . . . A consistently engrossing portrait.”—Kirkus Reviews(starred review) “A fascinating and highly readable look at the improbable rise, and fortunate fall, of one of the most dangerous politicians in American History.”—San Francisco Chronicle

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this biography of Louisiana governor Huey P. Long (1893-1935), Hair reveals that Long's antecedents, contrary to the image he promoted, were not dirt-poor tenant farmers but landowners who also held slaves right up to Emancipation. To further his political career, begun when he was elected to the Louisiana Railroad Commission in 1918, the "Kingfish" compounded the myth of humble origins with that of white supremacy in his search for popular support. In 1931, while serving as governor, Long declared his dedication to racial purity by forcing an appointed official to prove that she had no Negro blood. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1932, Long soon took control of the state's courts, school system and militia, his style of leadership earning him such labels as demagogue and dictator. Before his assassination in Baton Rouge three years later, he was seen as a potential presidential candidate promoting a national distribution of wealth with his "Share Our Wealth" program. Hair teaches history at Georgia College.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Former Louisiana governor Long was fascinating and controversial during his lifetime; mere mention of his name still evokes strong feelings in his home state. This latest biography explores the man and his political, economic, and social milieus. Drawing on many sources, including those used by T. Harry Williams in his monumental Huey Long ( LJ 9/15/69), Hair offers a less flattering portrait than Williams, emphasizing the darker side of "The Kingfish." It is, nonetheless, a balanced depiction and has the advantage of being quite readable. Libraries owning the Williams volume should probably acquire this one as a complement. For all libraries.
- Melvin L. Grotberg, Hobbs P.L., N.M.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 430 pages
• Publisher: Louisiana State University Press (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080712124X
• ISBN-13: 978-0807121245
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #818,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A needed corrective, April 19, 2001

By 

Schmerguls "schmerguls" (Sioux City, Ia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Kingfish and His Realm: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long (Paperback)

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.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, Not as Good as T. Harry's Book, May 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kingfish and His Realm: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long (Paperback)

Although it's readable, it's not as good as T. Harry's classic

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An impressive biography of the dictator of Louisiana., January 6, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingfish and His Realm: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long (Paperback)

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."