Louisiana Governors: Rulers, Rascals, and Reformers - Softcover

Cowan, Walter Greaves; McGuire, Jack B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1604735015 ISBN 13: 9781604735017

Publisher: University Press of Mississippi, 2009

Synopsis

Walter Greaves Cowan and Jack B. McGuire, veteran authorities on the Louisiana political scene, trace the history of the state's leaders from the French and Spanish colonial eras to the present day. Using a variety of sources, including personal interviews with the recent governors, they describe unforgettable personalities.

Such early figures as Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville set the tone for later colonial governors. They had their troubles, fending off protesting Indians and other French and Spanish leaders vying for power. Following the Louisiana Purchase, American politics took control. The Whigs, Know Nothings, Republicans, and Democrats have all waxed and waned through times of slavery, secession, suffrage, and segregation. The early twentieth century saw the rise of Huey P. Long, who established himself as a virtual dictator. An assassin's bullet ended Long's life in 1935, but his followers managed to hold on to the governorship until 1940. In 1948 his brother, Earl Long, brought the family back into power.

Over the years, two governors were impeached but were not removed from office, and two governors were jailed in federal prison. The experiences, decisions, and conflicts of Louisiana governors have reflected and influenced the history of the state, often in dramatic and fascinating ways.

About this title

About the Authors

Walter Greaves Cowan (1912–2010) was a reporter and an editor for the New Orleans States-Item and vice president of the Times-Picayune Publishing Corporation. He is coauthor of New Orleans Yesterday and Today and Louisiana Yesterday and Today.

Jack B. McGuire served as special assistant to the mayor of New Orleans, press secretary to the mayor, and director of public relations from 1964 to 1970 as well as a councilman-at-large for the city of Mandeville from 1984 to 2000. For over forty years he was an officer of Union Savings and Loan Association in New Orleans. He is author of Killing the Kingfish: The Huey Long Assassination and Win the Race or Die Trying: Uncle Earl's Last Hurrah and coauthor (with Walter Greaves Cowan) of Louisiana Governors: Rulers, Rascals, and Reformers, all published by University Press of Mississippi.

From the Inside Flap

A revelation of the wild, wily, and well-meaning chief executives of a colorful state

Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1604735015
• ISBN 13: 9781604735017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328