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

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. (Nov.)