Huey P. Long (TGTW)

Huey Pierce Long, Jr. (August 30, 1893-March 15, 1948) was 34th President of the United States. Known as the "Kingfish" during his term as Governor of Louisiana, Long gained the favor of the masses with his populist radicalism. He initially rose to prominence during the Roosevelt Administration as a supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal, although he would later criticize the program. Long created the Share Our Wealth program in 1934 with the motto "Every Man a King", proposing new wealth redistribution measures in the form of a net asset tax on corporations and individuals to curb the poverty and hopelessness endemic nationwide during the Great Depression. To stimulate the economy, Long advocated federal spending on public works, schools and colleges, and old age pensions. He was an ardent critic of the Federal Reserve System's policies. Charismatic and immensely popular for his programs and willingness to take forceful action, Long was accused by his opponents of dictatorial tendencies for his near-total control of the state government.

At the height of his popularity, Long was nearly killed by a gunman on September 8, 1935, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. The incident had given him a renewed drive in his pursuit of the Presidency. He would later remark that the incident was "the best thing that ever happened to me in terms of my political career."

In 1936, he backed Senator X as a primary challenger to Roosevelt. Although X failed to win the nomination, he ran as a third party candidate, with Long's support, and split the Democratic caucus, causing Al Landon to be elected President. According to recently found evidence, Long purposefully tried to derail Roosevelt's candidacy in order to prove that his ideas, which later became known as " Longism ", could be politically viable. Roosevelt seemed to have known this and adamantly opposed Long's bid in 1940.