Huey Long assassinated this day in 1935

[geefloyd46]

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Kingfish was a quandary...

A genuine concern for his constituents, but lusting for ultimate power.

He might've made the most benevolent dictator ever.

A little personal thing - I've met the grandson of his assassin. They continue to contend that Carl Weiss Sr was not the murderer - that Kingfish was shot by his own guards... repeatedly.

[geefloyd46]

2. Interesting comment...

My understanding is there were plenty of people with the incentive and the motive to do it.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. That's the motive they go with...

Kingfish was a VERY charismatic leader. With such charisma comes concern and hatred. Dr Weiss' son and grandson (both physicians) know their ancestor had "motive" and "personal hatred" for Kingfish, but approached Kingfish with a firearm to "make a statement", not to kill Long. But, once the gun was out, the gunfire that erupted was intense and shredded both Dr Weiss AND Governor/Senator Long.

[The Wizard]

4. Huey pressured FDR

to adopt the New Deal. Huey threatened to run against him in the primary and cause serious political damage unless the New Deal became a reality.

[Ferretherder]

5. I have a personal note to relate about this event.

My grandfather, on my mother's side, was a man named Gove D. Davis. He was a four term senator, and almost a 'right hand man' of the Kingfish. My uncle, Gove's son, Don Davis, who was a page boy in the Louisiana capital building at the time, told me that on the day of Huey's assassination, my grandfather was walking down the capital hallway with the governor, discussing some senate business, when someone opened a door and said to him, 'Hey Gove, come here a minute, I need to tell you something'. He excused himself and turned around and walked through the door to see what was up. Huey and his bodyguards kept walking, rounded the next corner, and Weiss stepped out from behind a pillar.

Now you tell me. Did everyone know that Huey was going down, and didn't want my grandfather to get in the line of fire...or was this just a fortuitous coincidence?

Kinda' makes you scratch your head, hmmm?

[Art_from_Ark]

6. You can still see some of the bullet holes in the Louisiana capitol building

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13541