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 is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. 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 Long, Earl was elected lieutenant-governor in 1 ...

and cousin of

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 ...

Early life

Long was born on May 4, 1923, in

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

, 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

Earl Long Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician who served as the List of governors of Louisiana, 45th governor of Louisiana on three occasions (1939–1940, 1948–1952, and 1956–1960). A member of the ...

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 and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

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 #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

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's and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree.

Political career

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

Louisiana's 8th congressional district Louisiana's 8th congressional district was a congressional district which was created in 1913 and eliminated in 1993 after Louisiana lost its eighth congressional seat in the 1990 United States census, 1990 U. S. census. For its entire existen ...

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 separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...

cousin

. 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. Long generally held political positions more liberal than that of most White Southern Democrats. During the 1984 presidential primaries, Long endorsed former vice president

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928April 19, 2021) was the 42nd vice president of the United States serving from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976. ...

. 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. ...

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 Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United States 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life

Political career

See also

References

External links