Jimmy Dale Long (October 6, 1931 – August 9, 2016) was an American politician. He served as a Democratic member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...

. King was born in

Winn Parish, Louisiana Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,313. Its seat is Winnfield. The parish was founded in 1852. It is last in alphabetical order of Louisiana's sixty-four parishes ...

. His relatives included George S. Long,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Gillis William Long Gillis William Long (May 4, 1923 – January 20, 1985) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. representative from Louisiana. He was a member of the Long family and was the nephew of former governors Huey Long and Earl Long a ...

and

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 ...

. He was the brother of

Gerald Long Gerald Long (born July 9, 1944) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member for the 31st district of the Louisiana State Senate. Long was born in Winnfield, Louisiana. He was the brother of Jimmy D. Long, and his paternal gr ...

. Long graduated from Winnfield High School and then spent seven years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1948 to 1955. Upon completion of navy service, he attended

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a 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 Univer ...

. He later helped to acquire funds for building and modernization work at the university, and for infrastructure projects in his district. He was a business owner and also a cowman. In 1968 Long was elected to the

, serving until 2000. Long was a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Joint Legislative Budget Committee. He took a particular interest in education, being instrumental in the establishment of

Louisiana Scholars' College The Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University, or "Scholars' College" as it is known by its students and faculty, is Louisiana's only designated four-year, selective-admissions honors college in the liberal arts and sciences. ...

at Northwestern University, and the public residential high school

Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts , motto_translation = We shall excel , slogan = ''Above. Beyond.'' , streetaddress = 715 University Parkway , city = Natchitoches , state = Louisiana , zipcode = 71457 , country = United States , coordinates = , type = Public, Selectiv ...

. Long died in August 2016 of traffic collision in the afternoon at 1:00 pm next to his home in

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; french: link=no, Les Natchitoches) is a small city 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 ...

, at the age of 84. He is buried at the American Cemetery in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Long was named by

The Shreveport Times ''The Times'' is a Gannett daily newspaper based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Its distribution area includes 12 parishes in Northwest Louisiana and three counties in East Texas. Its coverage focuses on issues affecting the Shreveport-Bossier market, ...

as one of the "100 Most Influential People of the Century". In 2000 he was honored in 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Jimmy D. 1931 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American politicians Burials in Louisiana People from Winn Parish, Louisiana Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Northwestern State University alumni Long family Road incident deaths in Louisiana Businesspeople from Louisiana United States Navy sailors Farmers from Louisiana