Speedy O. Long
Encyclopedia
Speedy Oteria Long was a Jena
(La Salle Parish) lawyer who was a Democratic
U.S. Representative
from central Louisiana
between 1965 and 1973. Prior to his tenure in the since disbanded Eighth Congressional District, Speedy Long had been a member of the Louisiana state Senate (1956–1964). After he left Congress, he became the district attorney
(1973–1985) for the Jena-based 28th Judicial District. He resumed the practice of law in Jena from 1985 to 2005 but was called back to public service in 1994 when the Louisiana Supreme Court
appointed him judge pro tem of the 28th Judicial District Court until a judge could be elected in 1995. He was a member of the popular Long political dynasty
, being a member of its conservative wing.
on the La Salle and Winn Parish boundary. His paternal grandfather was Charles Felix Long (1859–1940). Long was named "Speedy" because he was born two months prematurely. His father was the Tullos barber
and also a town council member, marshal
, and, later, mayor
. Speedy Long recalled that his family ate and breathed politics. He joked that he had been reared to regard Huey Pierce Long, Jr., as God
Almighty, Earl Kemp Long as Jesus
the Son, and Eighth District Congressman George Shannon Long
as St. Peter. He attended the public schools of La Salle and Winn parishes and graduated from Winnfield High School in 1945, just days before his 17th birthday.
Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Navy
from April 1946 to February 1948. He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe
(then Northeast Junior College) in 1950 and from Northwestern State University
(then State College) in Natchitoches
in 1951 with a BA in History. Long was recalled to active Navy duty during the Korean War
between 1951 and 1952. He graduated from Louisiana State University
Law School in Baton Rouge
in February 1959, was admitted to the Louisiana bar, and thereafter opened his practice in Jena.
On September 1, 1955, Long married the former Florence Theriot (May 15, 1933 – March 3, 2007) of Golden Meadow
in Lafourche Parish. She was the daughter of Leopold Theriot and the former Emeline Martin (both 1912-1991). The couple had two sons, Felix Field Long (born 1959) and David Theriot Long (born 1961), both of whom resided in New Roads
, the seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, at the time of their parents' deaths.
in Grant Parish north of Alexandria. Rambo had been Governor Earl Long's legislative floor leader and was married to a member of the Long family, the former Mary Alice Long (born 1928).
In 1963, Speedy Long did not seek a third term in the state Senate. He first planned to run for governor but instead, he contested the state insurance commissioner
position, then held by Rufus D. Hayes
, on a Democratic intraparty ticket headed by his friend John Julian McKeithen
, a Columbia
lawyer and one of the then three state public service commissioners, who was seeking the party's gubernatorial nomination in a crowded field.
Also on the McKeithen ticket was former Lafayette
Mayor Ashton J. Mouton
(1916–1988), a candidate for lieutenant governor
. Mouton had been elected mayor at the age of thirty-one in 1948; he served until 1956. Long and Mouton lost their races, but McKeithen was elected governor. Long was defeated by Dudley A. Guglielmo
. Another candidate in the insurance commissioner race was State Representative Jack M. Dyer
of Baton Rouge, a former Bill Dodd ally running on the deLesseps Story Morrison inraparty ticket. Mouton lost out to conservative incumbent
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
of Franklin
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
.
(1923–1985) of Alexandria
, for Louisiana's 8th congressional district
seat, a position often held by a member of the Long family. In the summer of 1960, Earl Long had won a Democratic primary by a 6,000-vote margin for the seat held by Harold B. McSween
of Alexandria and also held prior to 1958 by Long's late brother, George S. Long. When Earl Long died as the Democratic congressional nominee, the nomination reverted to McSween, the choice of the Democratic State Central committee. Two years later, in 1962, Gillis Long unseated McSween in the Democratic primary.
Gillis Long had been an unsuccessful gubernatorial contender against John McKeithen in the primary held in December 1963. He was a freshman House member who had not fully consolidated his hold on the district. Therefore, he was most vulnerable to his cousin's challenge. Speedy Long made it clear to voters that he was far different from his cousin Gillis, whom he dubbed a "Washington lawyer." Speedy Long, "just a Jena lawyer," vowed to vote far more conservatively on policy issues than Gillis Long had done in his one term in Congress.
Speedy Long said that he would model many of his votes in accord with north Louisiana Congressmen Joe D. Waggonner, Jr.
(1918–2007), of Plain Dealing
in Bossier Parish and Otto Ernest Passman
(1900–1988) of Monroe
in Ouachita Parish. He pointed out that Gillis Long often voted with the liberal members of the delegation from south Louisiana, specifically, Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr.
, (1914–1972) of New Orleans
, James H. Morrison
(1908–2000) of Hammond
, and even the moderately conservative Edwin E. Willis
(1904–1972) of St. Martinville
, to expand the scope of the national government at the expense of the states.
Speedy Long would upset Gillis Long for the Democratic congressional nomination in the famous "Battle of the Longs." Speedy's margin was some 4,900 votes. Relations between the two cousins were strained for years afterwards. In Congress, Speedy Long did as he had promised, often voting more like a Republican.
candidate than was usually offered in the district because of the popularity in Louisiana of the Republican presidential nominee, Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
. Retired United States Army
Lieutenant Colonel
William Stewart Walker
(1914–1999) of Winnfield
, who had earlier lost a state senate race to W.L. Rambo by a decisive margin, appeared strong as the Republican congressional nominee. At the Republican National Convention
in San Francisco
, in fact, Walker secured the endorsement of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower
. Walker won Rapides Parish, which includes Alexandria and Pineville
, with 51.4 percent of the vote and nearly won Winn Parish, which was both Walker's home parish as well as the traditional center of the Long dynasty. Walker received 27,735 votes (45.5 percent) to Speedy Long's 33,250 (54.5 percent).
Speedy Long quickly established his hold on the Eighth District. As he had promised, Long voted conservatively in Congress, sometimes in line with the Republican leadership under the direction of a future president, Gerald Ford
. Speedy Long was reelected to the House in 1966, 1968, and 1970.
In Congress, Long served on the Armed Services and the Merchant Marine and Fisheries committees. His subcommittee held hearings in South Vietnam
that discovered why the M-16 rifle was failing in combat conditions. The Pentagon
subsequently authorized changes in design, ammunition, and the cleaning procedures, and the weapon has since performed well. Long was also credited with convincing the Pentagon to designate Fort Polk
near Leesville
in Vernon Parish as a permanent military installation. He also joined others in the congressional delegation to fight for the development, control, and the navigation of the Red River in Arkansas
, Louisiana, Oklahoma
, and Texas
.
In 1971, Speedy Long filed as a Democratic candidate for governor. He entered a huge field that included: Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
, 70-year-old former Governor Jimmie Davis
, fellow Congressman Edwin Washington Edwards of Crowley
, two state senators, John G. Schwegmann
, a supermarket mogul from Jefferson Parish, and J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., a lawyer from Shreveport
, and Speedy Long's competitive and more liberal cousin, Gillis Long. Speedy Long polled only 61,359 votes.
, the Eighth District was geographically enlarged to include culturally Acadian French parishes to the south of Alexandria and to endow it with a higher ratio of liberal voters; additionally, Speedy Long's home parish of LaSalle was switched to the Fifth District. The change in district apportionment, pushed by Governor Edwards, proved conducive to the return of Gillis Long to the seat that he had lost eight years earlier. Speedy Long instead was elected district attorney of LaSalle Parish, a position that he held for 12 years.
, including incumbent Governor Edwards (the father of the jungle primary), Secretary of State James H. "Jim" Brown, originally of Ferriday
, three congressmen, Wilbert Joseph "Billy" Tauzin
of Lafourche Parish, Robert L. "Bob" Livingston
of suburban New Orleans, and Charles E. "Buddy" Roemer, III
, of Bossier Parish.
Speedy Long polled 18,736 votes (1 percent). In La Salle Parish, he received only 643 ballots from his diehard supporters, but Roemer led even there with 3,540 votes. Roemer (33 percent) and Edwards (28 percent) were slated to compete in the general election, but Edwards withdrew, and Roemer became governor based on his plurality primary showing. Livingston, who had hoped to garner a general election berth based on solid Republican support and then tackle Edwards, ran a disappointing third.
"Speedy knew his politics and had the usual amount of Long ambition and energy to get ahead. He had something else, something the other Longs didn't have. He had the ability to see things in perspective, and he seems to have made a good self-analysis of his capabilities and desires. He got himself elected to Congress and appeared able to parlay his success into a still bigger office [the governorship].
"Speedy got tired of Washington . . . and wanted to live at home with his family. So he came home voluntarily and hence became a quiet, plodding, and seemingly happy country prosecutor and small-town lawyer in central Louisiana. He may be the only Long who was ever happy . . . "
, then of Ferriday
in Concordia Parish.
Long was a member of the First Baptist Church of Jena, the American Legion
, a Mason
, and a Shriner. He died about 7:40 a.m. on October 5, 2006, at his home in Jena. In addition to his wife, sons, and granddaughter, Shelby Ann Long of Ventress
in Pointe Coupee Parish, he was survived by four brothers, Willie F. Long of Jena, Earl K. Long and Steve Long, both of Olla
, and Charles Long of Tullos; three sisters, Jo Beth Long Barber of Vicksburg, Mississippi
, and Sarah Long Allison and Willa Long Freeman, both of Natchitoches. Services were held on October 7, 2006, at the Hixson Brothers Funeral Home in Jena. Mrs. Long, also a member of First Baptist in Jena and a graduate of Golden Meadow High School, died in a Baton Rouge hospice on March 3, 2007, after suffering a stroke
-- just five months after her husband's passing. The Longs are interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Tullos.
Judge Peters, who delivered Long's eulogy, said "He's going to be one of those people who is going to be missed. He's among the last true public servants who served the people of Louisiana."
Jena attorney Dan Cornett moved from Baton Rouge to become District Attorney Long's first assistant: "Speedy was truly a man of the people, a man for the people. He had an innate sense of right and wrong, and he knew how the working man felt about things. He stuck with his word. He made me a better attorney. He was a friend and a mentor. When he spoke, you listened."
Cornet called Long an "encyclopedia" of politics. Recalling his stories about Huey and Earl Long, Cornett lamented, "I only wish we had recorded those stories."
Speedy Long was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield in 1998, along with his former congressional colleague Joe Waggonner.
Speedy Long was inducted posthumously into the "Long Purple Line" of Northwestern State University of Louisiana on October 24, 2008. Northwestern State University established The Long Purple Line in 1990 to provide recognition and appreciation to former students whose career accomplishments or service to their fellow man have enhanced the reputation of the university.
Jena, Louisiana
Jena is a town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known...
(La Salle Parish) lawyer who was a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
between 1965 and 1973. Prior to his tenure in the since disbanded Eighth Congressional District, Speedy Long had been a member of the Louisiana state Senate (1956–1964). After he left Congress, he became the district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
(1973–1985) for the Jena-based 28th Judicial District. He resumed the practice of law in Jena from 1985 to 2005 but was called back to public service in 1994 when the Louisiana Supreme Court
Louisiana Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Louisiana is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans....
appointed him judge pro tem of the 28th Judicial District Court until a judge could be elected in 1995. He was a member of the popular Long political dynasty
Long family
The Long family is a family of politicians from the United States. Below is a list of members:*George S. Long , Oklahoma State Representative 1920, delegate to the Democratic National Convention 1948, U.S. Representative from Louisiana 1953–1958...
, being a member of its conservative wing.
Early years in La Salle and Winn parishes
Long was born to Felix Franklin Long (1899–1982) and the former Verda Pendarvis (1905–1997) in tiny TullosTullos, Louisiana
Tullos is a town in La Salle and Winn parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana, along Castor Creek. The population was 419 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tullos is located at and has an elevation of ....
on the La Salle and Winn Parish boundary. His paternal grandfather was Charles Felix Long (1859–1940). Long was named "Speedy" because he was born two months prematurely. His father was the Tullos barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
and also a town council member, marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
, and, later, mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. Speedy Long recalled that his family ate and breathed politics. He joked that he had been reared to regard Huey Pierce Long, Jr., as God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
Almighty, Earl Kemp Long as Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
the Son, and Eighth District Congressman George Shannon Long
George S. Long
George Shannon "Doc" Long was a member of the powerful Long political dynasty in Louisiana and a Democratic U.S. representative from the defunct Eighth Congressional District from 1953-1958. The late Speedy O. Long of La Salle Parish, another member of the family, once jokingly compared George...
as St. Peter. He attended the public schools of La Salle and Winn parishes and graduated from Winnfield High School in 1945, just days before his 17th birthday.
Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
from April 1946 to February 1948. He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
(then Northeast Junior College) in 1950 and from Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
(then State College) in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
in 1951 with a BA in History. Long was recalled to active Navy duty during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
between 1951 and 1952. He graduated from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Law School in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
in February 1959, was admitted to the Louisiana bar, and thereafter opened his practice in Jena.
On September 1, 1955, Long married the former Florence Theriot (May 15, 1933 – March 3, 2007) of Golden Meadow
Golden Meadow, Louisiana
Golden Meadow is a town along Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its main source of revenue is revenue from property tax, sales tax, and...
in Lafourche Parish. She was the daughter of Leopold Theriot and the former Emeline Martin (both 1912-1991). The couple had two sons, Felix Field Long (born 1959) and David Theriot Long (born 1961), both of whom resided in New Roads
New Roads, Louisiana
New Roads is a city in and the parish seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The center of population of Louisiana is located in New Roads . The population was 4,996 at the 2000 census. The city's ZIP code is 70760...
, the seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, at the time of their parents' deaths.
State senator at 27
Speedy Long was elected to the Louisiana Senate in 1956, when he was only twenty-seven years old. In 1960, Long was reelected to the Senate, now the District 32 seat, over the opposition of state Representative Willard L. Rambo of GeorgetownGeorgetown, Louisiana
Georgetown is a village in Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 301 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in Grant Parish north of Alexandria. Rambo had been Governor Earl Long's legislative floor leader and was married to a member of the Long family, the former Mary Alice Long (born 1928).
In 1963, Speedy Long did not seek a third term in the state Senate. He first planned to run for governor but instead, he contested the state insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner is an executive office in many U.S. states, some in the state cabinet. The office differs state by state:...
position, then held by Rufus D. Hayes
Rufus D. Hayes
Rufus D. Hayes was an attorney, judge, and businessman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as his state’s insurance commissioner from 1957-1964. He was also a former district attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish and in 1958 the Louisiana Democratic state chairman...
, on a Democratic intraparty ticket headed by his friend John Julian McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
, a Columbia
Columbia, Louisiana
Columbia is a town in and the parish seat of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbia is located at ....
lawyer and one of the then three state public service commissioners, who was seeking the party's gubernatorial nomination in a crowded field.
Also on the McKeithen ticket was former Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
Mayor Ashton J. Mouton
Ashton J. Mouton
Ashton Joseph Mouton, Sr. , was a United States businessman and politician who became, at thirty-one, the youngest mayor in the history of Lafayette, Louisiana. A Democrat, Mouton was elected mayor in 1948. He served two four-year terms and left office in 1956...
(1916–1988), a candidate for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
. Mouton had been elected mayor at the age of thirty-one in 1948; he served until 1956. Long and Mouton lost their races, but McKeithen was elected governor. Long was defeated by Dudley A. Guglielmo
Dudley A. Guglielmo
Dudley Anthony Guglielmo, Sr. , was the Louisiana insurance commissioner from 1964 to 1972. He served two terms until he was denied renomination in the 1971 Democratic primary by Sherman A. Bernard, a house mover from Westwego in Jefferson Parish...
. Another candidate in the insurance commissioner race was State Representative Jack M. Dyer
Jack M. Dyer
Jack M. Dyer is a Democrat who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, from 1960-1964....
of Baton Rouge, a former Bill Dodd ally running on the deLesseps Story Morrison inraparty ticket. Mouton lost out to conservative incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock , a conservative Democrat from Franklin in St. Mary Parish, was the only three-term lieutenant governor in modern Louisiana history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary...
of Franklin
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
.
Speedy Long challenges Gillis Long, 1964
Long vacated his state Senate seat in 1964 and immediately launched a campaign against his third cousin, Gillis William LongGillis William Long
Gillis William Long was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Louisiana and member of the Long family. Long served seven non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives but placed third in two campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nominations in 1963 and 1971...
(1923–1985) of Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, for Louisiana's 8th congressional district
Louisiana's 8th congressional district
Louisiana's 8th congressional district is a defunct Congressional district and no longer exists after Louisiana lost its eighth Congressional seat in the 1990 U. S. Census. For its entire existence, it was based in Alexandria and included much of the north-central part of the state.-List of...
seat, a position often held by a member of the Long family. In the summer of 1960, Earl Long had won a Democratic primary by a 6,000-vote margin for the seat held by Harold B. McSween
Harold B. McSween
Harold Barnett McSween was a Louisiana businessman and politician who served in the now defunct 8th congressional district for two terms as a Democrat....
of Alexandria and also held prior to 1958 by Long's late brother, George S. Long. When Earl Long died as the Democratic congressional nominee, the nomination reverted to McSween, the choice of the Democratic State Central committee. Two years later, in 1962, Gillis Long unseated McSween in the Democratic primary.
Gillis Long had been an unsuccessful gubernatorial contender against John McKeithen in the primary held in December 1963. He was a freshman House member who had not fully consolidated his hold on the district. Therefore, he was most vulnerable to his cousin's challenge. Speedy Long made it clear to voters that he was far different from his cousin Gillis, whom he dubbed a "Washington lawyer." Speedy Long, "just a Jena lawyer," vowed to vote far more conservatively on policy issues than Gillis Long had done in his one term in Congress.
Speedy Long said that he would model many of his votes in accord with north Louisiana Congressmen Joe D. Waggonner, Jr.
Joe Waggonner
Joseph David Waggonner, Jr. , better known as Joe D. Waggonner, was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Bossier Parish who represented the old 4th Congressional District of northwest Louisiana from December 1961 until January 1979. He was also a confidant of Republican U.S...
(1918–2007), of Plain Dealing
Plain Dealing, Louisiana
Plain Dealing is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States best known as the birthplace of former U.S. Representative Joe D. Waggonner, Jr. The population was 1,071 at the 2000 census...
in Bossier Parish and Otto Ernest Passman
Otto Passman
Otto Ernest Passman was a conservative Democratic congressman from Monroe in northeastern Louisiana, who served from 1947 to 1977. He is primarily remembered for his detailed knowledge and mostly opposition to foreign aid...
(1900–1988) of Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
in Ouachita Parish. He pointed out that Gillis Long often voted with the liberal members of the delegation from south Louisiana, specifically, Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr.
Hale Boggs
Thomas Hale Boggs Sr. , was an American Democratic politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Orleans, Louisiana...
, (1914–1972) of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, James H. Morrison
James H. Morrison
James Hobson "Jimmy" Morrison, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the Sixth Congressional District of Louisiana, who served from 1943 to 1967...
(1908–2000) of Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
, and even the moderately conservative Edwin E. Willis
Edwin E. Willis
Edwin Edward Willis was an American politician and attorney from the U.S. state of Louisiana who was affiliated with the Long political faction. A Democrat, he served in the Louisiana State Senate during 1948 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1969.-Early life:Willis...
(1904–1972) of St. Martinville
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
, to expand the scope of the national government at the expense of the states.
Speedy Long would upset Gillis Long for the Democratic congressional nomination in the famous "Battle of the Longs." Speedy's margin was some 4,900 votes. Relations between the two cousins were strained for years afterwards. In Congress, Speedy Long did as he had promised, often voting more like a Republican.
Facing Republican William Stewart Walker, 1964
Speedy Long faced a much stronger RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate than was usually offered in the district because of the popularity in Louisiana of the Republican presidential nominee, Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Retired United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
William Stewart Walker
William Stewart Walker
William Stewart Walker, usually known as Stewart Walker , was a lieutenant colonel from Winnfield, Louisiana who, during World War II as a United States Army major, rescued 380 of his fellow soldiers from behind enemy lines in Belgium in December 1944...
(1914–1999) of Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
, who had earlier lost a state senate race to W.L. Rambo by a decisive margin, appeared strong as the Republican congressional nominee. At the Republican National Convention
1964 Republican National Convention
The 1964 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States took place in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had only been one national Republican convention on the West Coast...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, in fact, Walker secured the endorsement of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. Walker won Rapides Parish, which includes Alexandria and Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
, with 51.4 percent of the vote and nearly won Winn Parish, which was both Walker's home parish as well as the traditional center of the Long dynasty. Walker received 27,735 votes (45.5 percent) to Speedy Long's 33,250 (54.5 percent).
Speedy Long quickly established his hold on the Eighth District. As he had promised, Long voted conservatively in Congress, sometimes in line with the Republican leadership under the direction of a future president, Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
. Speedy Long was reelected to the House in 1966, 1968, and 1970.
In Congress, Long served on the Armed Services and the Merchant Marine and Fisheries committees. His subcommittee held hearings in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
that discovered why the M-16 rifle was failing in combat conditions. The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
subsequently authorized changes in design, ammunition, and the cleaning procedures, and the weapon has since performed well. Long was also credited with convincing the Pentagon to designate Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
near Leesville
Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
in Vernon Parish as a permanent military installation. He also joined others in the congressional delegation to fight for the development, control, and the navigation of the Red River in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Louisiana, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Running for governor, 1971
Main Article: Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1971-72Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1971-72
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1971–1972 was held in three rounds. The two Democratic Party primaries were held on November 6 and December 8, 1971...
In 1971, Speedy Long filed as a Democratic candidate for governor. He entered a huge field that included: Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock , a conservative Democrat from Franklin in St. Mary Parish, was the only three-term lieutenant governor in modern Louisiana history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary...
, 70-year-old former Governor Jimmie Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
, fellow Congressman Edwin Washington Edwards of Crowley
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
, two state senators, John G. Schwegmann
John G. Schwegmann
John Gerald Schwegmann, Jr., was a pioneer in the development of the modern supermarket. He owned eighteen stores in the Greater New Orleans area, based from Metairie, a large unincorporated city in Jefferson Parish...
, a supermarket mogul from Jefferson Parish, and J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., a lawyer from Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, and Speedy Long's competitive and more liberal cousin, Gillis Long. Speedy Long polled only 61,359 votes.
La Salle Parish district attorney
Speedy Long decided not to run for the U.S. House again. As a result of redistrictingRedistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
, the Eighth District was geographically enlarged to include culturally Acadian French parishes to the south of Alexandria and to endow it with a higher ratio of liberal voters; additionally, Speedy Long's home parish of LaSalle was switched to the Fifth District. The change in district apportionment, pushed by Governor Edwards, proved conducive to the return of Gillis Long to the seat that he had lost eight years earlier. Speedy Long instead was elected district attorney of LaSalle Parish, a position that he held for 12 years.
One last run for governor, 1987
In 1987, Speedy Long, then fifty-nine, launched a final campaign for governor. He faced a field of seven opponents in the jungle primaryJungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
, including incumbent Governor Edwards (the father of the jungle primary), Secretary of State James H. "Jim" Brown, originally of Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
, three congressmen, Wilbert Joseph "Billy" Tauzin
Billy Tauzin
Wilbert Joseph Tauzin II , usually known as Billy Tauzin, American lobbyist and politician of Cajun descent, was President and CEO of PhRMA, a pharmaceutical company lobby group...
of Lafourche Parish, Robert L. "Bob" Livingston
Bob Livingston
Robert Linlithgow "Bob" Livingston Jr. is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist and a former Republican U.S. Representative from Louisiana...
of suburban New Orleans, and Charles E. "Buddy" Roemer, III
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
, of Bossier Parish.
Speedy Long polled 18,736 votes (1 percent). In La Salle Parish, he received only 643 ballots from his diehard supporters, but Roemer led even there with 3,540 votes. Roemer (33 percent) and Edwards (28 percent) were slated to compete in the general election, but Edwards withdrew, and Roemer became governor based on his plurality primary showing. Livingston, who had hoped to garner a general election berth based on solid Republican support and then tackle Edwards, ran a disappointing third.
Bill Dodd's analysis of Speedy Long
In his Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics, pp. 19-20, former lieutenant governor, state auditor, and superintendent of education William J. "Bill" Dodd described Long as follows:"Speedy knew his politics and had the usual amount of Long ambition and energy to get ahead. He had something else, something the other Longs didn't have. He had the ability to see things in perspective, and he seems to have made a good self-analysis of his capabilities and desires. He got himself elected to Congress and appeared able to parlay his success into a still bigger office [the governorship].
"Speedy got tired of Washington . . . and wanted to live at home with his family. So he came home voluntarily and hence became a quiet, plodding, and seemingly happy country prosecutor and small-town lawyer in central Louisiana. He may be the only Long who was ever happy . . . "
Later years and obituary
Speedy Long resided in the town of Jena in La Salle Parish and maintained a family law office in Jena until his retirement in 2005. His law partner for ten years was the Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jimmie C. Peters. In 1979, Peters ran for the same state Senate seat that Long had held earlier, but he lost out to then fellow Democrat Daniel Wesley "Dan" RicheyDan Richey
Daniel Wesley "Dan" Richey is a Baton Rouge-based political consultant for "pro-family" candidates and organizations, including Louisiana Family Forum. From 1997 to 2004, Richey served under appointment of Republican Governor Murphy J...
, then of Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
in Concordia Parish.
Long was a member of the First Baptist Church of Jena, the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, a Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and a Shriner. He died about 7:40 a.m. on October 5, 2006, at his home in Jena. In addition to his wife, sons, and granddaughter, Shelby Ann Long of Ventress
Ventress, Louisiana
Ventress is an unincorporated village located in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana along the northeastern end of False River . The population of the area is approximately 1,100 individuals. It is home to the Hunter Fabre Post 248 American Legion Hall on Legion Road...
in Pointe Coupee Parish, he was survived by four brothers, Willie F. Long of Jena, Earl K. Long and Steve Long, both of Olla
Olla, Louisiana
Olla is a municipality in northwest La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. Olla has a federally recognized downtown Historic District. The population was 1,617 at the 2010 census...
, and Charles Long of Tullos; three sisters, Jo Beth Long Barber of Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
, and Sarah Long Allison and Willa Long Freeman, both of Natchitoches. Services were held on October 7, 2006, at the Hixson Brothers Funeral Home in Jena. Mrs. Long, also a member of First Baptist in Jena and a graduate of Golden Meadow High School, died in a Baton Rouge hospice on March 3, 2007, after suffering a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
-- just five months after her husband's passing. The Longs are interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Tullos.
Judge Peters, who delivered Long's eulogy, said "He's going to be one of those people who is going to be missed. He's among the last true public servants who served the people of Louisiana."
Jena attorney Dan Cornett moved from Baton Rouge to become District Attorney Long's first assistant: "Speedy was truly a man of the people, a man for the people. He had an innate sense of right and wrong, and he knew how the working man felt about things. He stuck with his word. He made me a better attorney. He was a friend and a mentor. When he spoke, you listened."
Cornet called Long an "encyclopedia" of politics. Recalling his stories about Huey and Earl Long, Cornett lamented, "I only wish we had recorded those stories."
Speedy Long was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield in 1998, along with his former congressional colleague Joe Waggonner.
Speedy Long was inducted posthumously into the "Long Purple Line" of Northwestern State University of Louisiana on October 24, 2008. Northwestern State University established The Long Purple Line in 1990 to provide recognition and appreciation to former students whose career accomplishments or service to their fellow man have enhanced the reputation of the university.
Additional sources
- Louisiana State University - Williams Center for Oral History
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- InfoPlease
- The Political Graveyard
- Louisiana Secretary of State - 1987 election results
- American Heritage: "The LONG, LONG Trail"
- Winnfield, Louisiana city museum
- Louisiana State Senators since 1880 (Baton Rouge: Louisiana Secretary of State).