Gillis William Long (May 4, 1923 – January 20, 1985) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. He was a member of the

Long family The Long family is a family of politicians from the United States. Many have characterized it as a political dynasty. After Huey Long's 1935 assassination, a family dynasty emerged: his brother Earl was elected lieutenant-governor in 1936, and gov ...

and was the nephew of former governors

Huey Long Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

and

Earl Long Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician and the 45th governor of Louisiana, serving three nonconsecutive terms. Long, known as "Uncle Earl", connected with voters through his folksy demeanor and c ...

and the cousin of Senator

Russell B. Long Russell Billiu Long (November 3, 1918 – May 9, 2003) was an American Democratic politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1948 until 1987. Because of his seniority, he advanced to chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, servin ...

Early life

Long was born on May 4, 1923, in

Winnfield, Louisiana Winnfield is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, and 4,840 in 2010. Three governors of the state of Louisiana were from Winnfield.

, to Floyd Harrison Long and Birdie Long. His family moved to Pineville when he was a teenager and he attended Bolton High School. When his cousin

was running for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, Gillis gave campaign speeches for him at his school. In 1939, Long attended

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

for law, but was interrupted when he enlisted into the army in 1941 as a private. During World War Two he received a bronze star, five campaign stars, and the Purple Heart, and served at the

Nuremberg trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

before being discharged as a captain in 1947. Later that year he married Catherine Small, and four years later graduated from college with a bachelor and law degree.

Political career

In 1962, he was elected to the House of Representatives from

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 ...

and was selected to be the assistant Democratic Whip. In 1963, he entered the Democratic primary for the Louisiana gubernatorial race, but came in third place with 15% of the vote. In 1964, he attempted to win reelection, but was defeated by his more openly

segregationist Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Interna ...

cousin

Speedy Long Speedy Oteria Long (June 16, 1928 – October 5, 2006) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 8th congressional district from January 3, 1965, until January 3, 1973. He was a member of ...

. In 1971, he entered the Democratic primary for the gubernatorial race again, but again came in third place, this time with 13% of the vote. After his cousin Speedy Long retired from office, Gillis Long decided to run for the House seat he had once held. He won and was re-elected six additional times. He rose to the position of Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, which he held from 1981 to 1984. During the 1984 presidential primaries, Long endorsed former vice president

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

. On January 20, 1985, Long died from heart failure in Washington, D.C., and a moment of silence was given for him at Ronald Reagan's second presidential inauguration. His wife Cathy won the special election to succeed him and served one term. In 1994 he was inducted into the

Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Winnfield, Louisiana. Created by a 1987 act of the Louisiana State Legislature, it honors the best-known politicians and political journalists in the state. H ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Gillis William 1923 births 1985 deaths People from Winnfield, Louisiana Military personnel from Louisiana Baptists from Louisiana United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II Bolton High School (Louisiana) alumni American investment bankers Gillis William Louisiana lawyers Louisiana State University alumni Louisiana State University Law Center alumni Politicians from Alexandria, Louisiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Huey Long Burials in Louisiana Deaths from congestive heart failure

Early life

Political career

See also

References

External links