Abbot Joseph Liebling was one of the New Yorker's greatest scribes. Whether writing about food, history or politics, Liebling could always carry the reader along on an enjoyable ride. In this case, the ride is a rollicking hayride through the politics of Louisiana in the life and times of Earl K. Long, little brother of the darker and more renowned Huey Long, the granddaddy of colorful Louisiana politicians.

The Premise

One might suppose that Liebling, a liberal New Yorker, might cast a jaundiced eye at the rambunctious and almost comical Earl Long. Long's antics were merely a sideshow to legislation far ahead of his time. Long's views on race and how the spoils of political largesse might be divided were well ahead of the times in pre-integration Louisiana. Perhaps this is why he was shipped off to an asylum in Galveston by his wife Blanche and a scheming District Attorney. Only Earl got the last laugh , buying his way out of the padded rooms with a smile and a fistful of state money. Long was a master at getting things done, much in the way that the most recent colorful ex-governor of Louisiana, Edwin Edwards, was known for. Long was cherished for his often colorful turns of phrase. Of Democratic rival Governor Jimmie Davis, Long was quoted as saying "Jimmie loves money like a hog loves slop!"

Liebling presents history in an easily readable way, his masterfully built prose blending seamlessly into a truly pleasurable whole. The promise of a few good laughs is here as well. They don't make politicians this way any more, for good or ill, it just doesn't happen this way in today's bloodless political skirmishes. For those looking for prurient references to Blaze Starr, Long's friend of long but questionable standing, scant reference is made to her in this book. The movie Blaze, starring Paul Newman, might be a better source. This is also more of an impressionistic portrait, written during Long's final campaigns, than a formal biography.

Why You Might Want to Read This

As colorful portrait of a politician as has ever been penned by anyone recently, the Earl of Louisiana paints the culture and landscape of a time and place with empathy and humor. Some may have sneered at the Long dynasty, but Liebling's view is of the man and his deeper character, not a caricature for the press. Though written over forty years ago, this one is a book for your shelf.


The Earl of Louisiana

A. J. Liebling

Louisiana State University Press
Baton Rouge, 1970

258 pp, paper

orig. pub. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1961


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Recommended: Yes