Huey Long Reborn in Bronze

The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune ^ | August 31, 2004 | Robert Travis Scott

[Ebenezer]

BATON ROUGE -- Former Gov. Huey Long enhanced his reputation as Louisiana's most dominant historical figure by returning to life Monday on his 111th birthday as an animated and bitingly polemical bronze sculpture at the Old State Capitol.

The new $250,000 permanent exhibit, called "Huey Long Live! The Kingfish Speaks," is a lively lesson in history about an individual some have called an "incubus" upon the state and others have honored as a champion of the poor.

Though it is unlikely to end the controversy over whether Long did more harm than good during his reign as governor and senator from 1928 until his assassination in 1935, the mechanical spectacle now open to the public tends to favor Long's positive side.

[Ebenezer]

Love him or hate him, it seems that we in Louisiana cannot get enough of "The Kingfish", even 69 years after his assassination.

[procambarus]

I'm from Louisiana and this is the first I'm hearing of this. Am I the only one who missed it?

Also, can anybody vouch for the $250,000 figure they gave as the price tag. That seems a little high for something like this, but with Maw-Maw Blanco in charge, who knows.

[kms61]

I saw it on the local news yesterday.

[procambarus]

I guess they kind of slipped this one in while everybody was preoccupied with the $14,000,000 we gave to Tom Benson.