Every Man a King: A History of the Long Presidency and Beyond

Every Man a King: A History of the Long Presidency and Beyond


huey-long.jpg

Huey Pierce Long, the "Kingfish," 33rd President of the United States of America (1936-1956)

From My Life in America: My Autobiography and Thoughts, Huey P. Long, 1962, Baton Rouge Press:

Folks, if you'll forgive the old Kingfish for a while as he reminisces, I mean to tell you something. I recall, perhaps a year or so ago, sitting in my Louisiana home and watching The Return of Frankenstein [1] on the television, and it suddenly dawned on me: my god, it's been nearly 30 years since that picture was released. I got to thinking where all that time had gone. I bet that some of you, who've been with me since the beginning, back in '36, often think like that too. Yes sir, we old-timers have got to stick together. But let me get back to my point. So much has happened since then. I was president, of course, for 5 glorious terms, and I am solely indebted to you, the people, for it, but even outside of America...

Of course, there was the war with Germany, with the British and the French against that ogre Adolph Hitler, but when he was killed in 1940 by Elser and Kordt, Europe was mostly safe. I believe some of you remember what happened to their fellows in arms, Japan and Italy. After we won the war against the Japs in the Pacific in '44, Hindustan became independent, after being occupied by the Empire, and all those little African countries did, too...

I guess what I mean to say is that so much has happened since I've been president, and I just want to say thank you for making it all possible.

From a song of the Social Populist Party:

Why weep or slumber America
Land of brave and true
With castles and clothing and food
for all
All belongs to you
Ev'ry man a King, ev'ry man a King
For you can be a millionaire
But there's something belonging to others
There's enough for all people to share
When it's sunny June and December too
Or in the Winter time or Spring
There'll be peace without end
Ev'ry neighbor a friend
With ev'ry man a King

===============================
Footnotes:
1. OTL Bride of Frankenstein. Return was a working title from a working script rejected in 1935.

OOC: This is my new TL! It's a Huey Long one, of course. It'll describe how the US and the world is changed by his presence. This initial update should serve as a bit of a teaser for you; I'll post a bit more tonight.
 
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Every Man a King: A History of the Long Presidency and Beyond


huey-long.jpg

Huey Pierce Long, the "Kingfish," 34th President of the United States of America (1936-1956)

From My Life in America: My Autobiography and Thoughts, Huey P. Long, 1962, Baton Rouge Press:

Folks, if you'll forgive the old Kingfish for a while as he reminisces, I mean to tell you something. I recall, perhaps a year or so ago, sitting in my Louisiana home and watching The Return of Frankenstein [1] on the television, and it suddenly dawned on me: my god, it's been nearly 30 years since that picture was released. I got to thinking where all that time had gone. I bet that some of you, who've been with me since the beginning, back in '36, often think like that too. Yes sir, we old-timers have got to stick together. But let me get back to my point. So much has happened since then. I was president, of course, for 5 glorious terms, and I am solely indebted to you, the people, for it, but even outside of America...

Of course, there was the war with Germany, with the British and the French against that ogre Adolph Hitler, but when he was killed in '39 by Elser and Kordt, Europe was mostly safe. I believe some of you remember what happened to their fellows in arms, Japan and Italy. After we won the war against the Japs in the Pacific in '44, Hindustan became independent, after being occupied by the Empire, and all those little African countries did, too...

I guess what I mean to say is that so much has happened since I've been president, and I just want to say thank you for making it all possible.

===============================
Footnotes:
1. OTL Bride of Frankenstein. Return was a working title from a working script rejected in 1935.

OOC: This is my new TL! It's a Huey Long one, of course. It'll describe how the US and the world is changed by his presence. This initial update should serve as a bit of a teaser for you; I'll post a bit more tonight.

I like where this is going. I look forward to it.
 
I will be watching this with interest. I've always been fascinated by the Kingfish, and would love to see how a successful Long presidency would play out (although just how it gets to last five terms is going to be interesting to see). I'm currently planning an American TL where Long plays a significant role, although I'm undecided as to whether I will have him enter the White House. Good luck.
 
how much sooner does the South End of Tiger Stadium get built? (remember the WPA paid for a lot of the stadium expansion due to the dormitories/ROTC barracks being part of the stadium)

does Troy Middleton get picked up for general officer rank before he retires as opposed to retired recall OTL?
 
From the famed February 16th, 1933 New York Times "God Bless America" front-page article:

PRESIDENT-ELECT ROOSEVELT KILLED BY LONE GUNMAN IN FLORIDA


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It is with a greatly heavy heart that we must report the death of President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

He died of a pistol wound in the stomach caused by a pistol bullet that was fired at him after he had stopped his motorcade, traveling through downtown Miami, to give an impromptu speech in the city's Bayfront Park.

Vice President-elect John Nance Garner of Texas was not in attendance at the event; he will be sworn in as the 32nd President of the United States following the expiration of President Herbert Hoover's term, in March.

Mr. Roosevelt's assassin is believed to have been an anarchist by the name of Giuseppe Zangara. Mr. Roosevelt was giving an impromptu speech in an uncovered car he was in, near Miami's Bayfront Park. Zangara, only five feet tall, was armed with a .32 caliber pistol, and he stood on a metal folding chair to see over the crowd. However, his aim was unhindered, [1] and he was able to fire four shots [2] before he was detained by the crowd. He was beaten to death by the angry crowd. [3]

One of these struck Mr. Roosevelt, who was attended by Chicago mayor Anton Cermak, who was not hit. Cermak, who carried Mr. Roosevelt to the ambulance, told the President that "it should have been me [him]." [4]

A day of mourning has been declared, and President Hoover has offered his condolences to Mr. Roosevelt's wife, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, and his children. God bless America...


*******

From Senator Huey P. Long's journal entry of the same day, a piece entitled America's Future (later collected in The Writings of President Huey P. Long and The Young Patriot's Handbook):

I am sorry to hear of Franklin's death. I was a great supporter of his in the past election, and I believed in his truly Christian policy of the New Deal. But now that he is dead, and Mr. Garner is President-elect, I don't know what will happen to America. Mr. Garner is not made of the same stuff, I fear. I doubt he will implement what needs to be done in America to affect change.

My policies as governor worked! And the New Deal would have worked! And now, both my ideas and President Roosevelt's will be tossed to the dustbin of history by the thoroughly incompetent Garner, who'll be no better than old Hoover. If only he had lived. But no one could have changed it, I suppose. Now what to do?

I suppose I could run for president in '36. Yes, I may do that...

===============================
Footnotes:
1. This is the POD; IOTL, a woman, named Lillian Cross, was able to redirect some of the bullets so that they did not strike President Roosevelt, but ITTL, she stands somewhere else, and so Zangara is able to pull off a successful shot. You might recognize this as the POD of Man in the High Castle.
2. IOTL, he fired 5.
3. IOTL, he was spared from this fate by Roosevelt, and executed less than a month later.
4. This is analogous to Cermak's OTL statement, after his shooting, "I'm glad it was me instead of you."
 
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Now, replies:

I will be watching this with interest. I've always been fascinated by the Kingfish, and would love to see how a successful Long presidency would play out (although just how it gets to last five terms is going to be interesting to see). I'm currently planning an American TL where Long plays a significant role, although I'm undecided as to whether I will have him enter the White House. Good luck.

We'll see how this all happens. All will be revealed. :D

My favorite american politician from the early 20th century *grabs popcorn and soda* this gonna be epic :D

Every men a King! Every girl a Queen, you can be a millionaire!

This is by far the funniest thing I've ever seen in politics. Well, maybe second. Or third. Trump and Ted Cruz are damn good contenders, but the bored limpness of Long's arm as he "enjoys" the music is amazing.

how much sooner does the South End of Tiger Stadium get built? (remember the WPA paid for a lot of the stadium expansion due to the dormitories/ROTC barracks being part of the stadium)

does Troy Middleton get picked up for general officer rank before he retires as opposed to retired recall OTL?

That's very...specific. I guess I'll cover it, but sportsball isn't really my forte. The WPA will be less of a thing on account of the Garner administration.
 
From The Thorns of Cactus Jack: A History of the Garner Presidency, Howard Zinn, 1985, Harvard Press:

...[Garner] was an incompetent; that cannot be argued. He was much more of a conservative than a democrat, and he was not at all the man who one would want to run the country during such a difficult time as the Great Depression. He was in favor of balanced budgets and low taxes, and thought a laissez-faire economy could fix the country. He employed no-one to serve and build public works; instead, he just had them starve...

Garnertowns [1] sprung up all over the country, particularly in New York. These people especially, as well as the voting public, thought him to be the worst sort of leader, and wanted change. Some cried for fascism; Virgil Effinger, an odious man, led the Black Legion, a KKK offshoot, and there was also the Silver Legion of America, led by a fellow crazed extremist, William Dudley Pelley. Some feared that America would fall to them, or to communists like Earl Browder or to Norman Thomas' more moderate socialists. That last would have been preferable. But instead, a new form of government came to the United States, just as malicious as the fascists, and wreathed in the flag and cross.

*******

From a March 4th, 1933 New York Times cover:

PRESIDENT GARNER SWORN IN

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President John Nance Garner was sworn in today by Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes today, in Washington, D.C. The rumors of a constitutional crisis regarding presidential appointment following the death of Mr. Roosevelt were unfounded.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Garner swore that he would help America back to its status as a world power, saying that he would help the unemployed to the best of his ability, but that he still trusted in God and the economy.

===============================
Footnotes:
1. Analagous to OTL Hoovervilles.
 
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shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
Keep up the good work, I'm enjoying this :)

Just a minor thing, you might want to do something to differentiate the Entries from the structure text, such as indenting or font.

Bar that, so far so good.
 
I noticed that Long's letter is from "The Young Patriot's Handbook" - I almost wonder if this is similar to the little red books that populated China...

Very good so far!
 
I noticed that Long's letter is from "The Young Patriot's Handbook" - I almost wonder if this is similar to the little red books that populated China...

Very good so far!

I like you. Very observant. That's almost exactly correct. These are for a Hitler Youth-esque organization, but "Patriot's Handbooks" are incredibly common.

They become even more prevalent then they already were under the George Rockwell administration.
 
I am looking forward to the Kingfish Presidency. It is bound to be intriguing. Long is certainly is the ranks of "Greatest Presidents We Never Had" along with Thomas Dewey, Robert Kennedy, and Nelson Rockefeller.
 
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