Kingfish U Huey Long and LSU
“Kingfish U: Huey Long and LSU” by Robert Mann, published by LSU Press on June 7, 2023, offers an in-depth exploration of Huey P. Long’s significant influence on Louisiana State University. This 352-page book delves into Long’s transformation of the university from a modest institution into a prominent academic and athletic powerhouse during his tenure as governor and U.S. senator. Mann chronicles Long’s fervent commitment to enhancing LSU’s budget, faculty, and enrollment, as well as his unique involvement in the university’s football program and band.
Readers will find a detailed account of Long’s dynamic leadership style and the consequences of his actions at LSU. The narrative highlights his intense interest in the football team, including his direct involvement in coaching and the enhancement of the school’s band. While Long’s support brought growth and recognition to LSU, it also led to challenges, including threats to the university’s accreditation and subsequent scandals following his death. This edition presents a comprehensive view of Long’s legacy and its lasting impact on the institution, making it a significant contribution to the fields of history and political biography.
Official synopsis Publisher
No political leader is more closely identified with Louisiana State University than the flamboyant governor and U.S. senator Huey P. Long, who devoted his last years to turning a small, undistinguished state school into an academic and football powerhouse. From 1931, when Long declared himself the “official thief” for LSU, to his death in 1935, the school’s budget mushroomed, its physical plant burgeoned, its faculty flourished, and its enrollment tripled.
Along with improving LSU’s academic reputation, Long believed the school’s football program and band were crucial to its success. Taking an intense interest in the team, Long delivered pregame and halftime pep talks, devised plays, stalked the sidelines during games, and fired two coaches. He poured money into a larger, flashier band, supervised the hiring of two directors, and, with the second one, wrote a new fight song, “Touchdown for LSU.”
While he rarely meddled in academic affairs, Long insisted that no faculty member criticize him publicly. When students or faculty from “his school” opposed him, retribution was swift. Long’s support for LSU did not come without consequences. His unrelenting involvement almost cost the university its accreditation. And after his death, several of his allies—including his handpicked university president—went to prison in a scandal that almost destroyed LSU.
Rollicking and revealing, Robert Mann’s Kingfish U is the definitive story of Long’s embrace of LSU.
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