Long, Earl

Long, Earl (Kemp)

(1895–1960) governor; born in Winnfield, La. (brother of Huey Long). A salesman (1912–27) and tax attorney, he served as his brother's campaign strategist and lobbyist but became a bitter foe when Huey would not pick him as the candidate for lieutenant governor of Louisiana. A Democrat, he got himself elected lieutenant governor on his own in 1936, then moved up to governor (1939–40) because of a political scandal. Returning as the elected governor (1948–52, 1956–60), he passed populist health and education measures, and opposed segregationists, but became increasingly eccentric in his personal life. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1960 but died 10 days later.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.