Huey Long

Shot on 8 September 1935 in the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge; the senator and former governor died two days later.

Overview

Huey Long, known as the Kingfish, dominated Louisiana as governor and then as a United States senator, building roads, schools, and hospitals while wielding near dictatorial control over the state. His Share Our Wealth program proposed capping personal fortunes and guaranteeing income, and he was preparing to challenge Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. In a corridor of the capitol he was shot by Carl Weiss, a Baton Rouge physician whose family had political ties to an opponent of Long. Weiss was killed immediately by the bodyguards of Long. Some researchers have argued that stray shots from the bodyguards caused the fatal wound, and the question remains debated.