The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1924 was held in two rounds on January 15 and February 19, 1924. Like most Southern states between Reconstruction and the civil rights era, Louisiana's Republican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral support. This meant that the two Democratic Party primaries held on these dates were the real contest over who would be governor. The 1924 election saw Henry L. Fuqua defeat Hewitt Bouanchaud to become Governor of Louisiana, and saw the beginning of the political rise of Huey P. Long, who came in a surprisingly strong third. January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Reconstruction-era military districts in the South For other uses, see Reconstruction (disambiguation). ... This article is becoming very long. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... A governor is a governing official, usually the executive (at least nominally, to different degrees also politically and administratively) of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state; furthermore the title applies to officials with a similar mandate as representatives of a chartered company which has... List of Governors of Louisiana First French Era Sieur Sauvole de la Villantry 1699-1701 Jean Baptiste de la Moyne, Sieur de Bienville 1701-1713 Antonine de la Mothe Cadillac 1713-1716 Jean Baptiste de la Moyne 1716-1717 De lEpinay 1717-1718 Jean Baptiste de la Moyne 1718... Huey Pierce Long (August 30, 1893–September 10, 1935), known as The Kingfish, was an American politician; he was governor of Louisiana (1928–1932), Senator (1932–1935) and a presidential hopeful before his assassination. ...

Candidates

Henry L. Fuqua of Baton Rouge, the manager of Louisiana State Penitentiary, had the support of former governors Jared Y. Sanders and Ruffin G. Pleasant, and of the Regular Democratic Organization, a powerful New Orleans-based political machine. He also received funding from the oil industry. Capitol Building Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, a state of the United States of America. ... Angola is the Louisiana State Penitentiary and is estimated to be the largest prison in the U.S. with 5,000 inmates and over 1,000 staff. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

Hewitt Bouanchaud, a French-speaking lawyer from Pointe Coupee Parish, was the handpicked candidate of outgoing governor John M. Parker. Pointe Coupee Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ...

Huey Long, an ambitious young Railroad Commissioner from Winnfield, had announced his intention to run for governor as early as 1922. Huey Long Huey Pierce Long, Jr. ... Winnfield is a small city located in Winn Parish, Louisiana. ...

Campaign

The major emerging issue of the campaign was the Ku Klux Klan, which had surged in popularity across the state in the early 1920s. Long was reluctant to address the issue; his political support was strongest in Protestant north Louisiana, the heartland of the Klan. A strong condemnation of the Klan would alienate many of these supporters. Long ducked this issue, instead arguing that Standard Oil and corporate domination was the true threat to Louisiana. Long was not affiliated with the Klan, but his defensiveness cast doubts among some voters. Fuqua favored an antimasking law to combat the Klan, but did not take a strong stance on the issue. Bouanchaud, a Catholic, made a strong denunciation of the Klan his main campaign issue. Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Standard Oil (1870–1911) was a large, integrated, oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization. ...

Without the organized support enjoyed by his two opponents, Long built his campaign around printed circulars and frequent campaign stops in rural areas of the state. He campaigned for increased educational funding, road improvement, and the right of unions to organize. He condemned the concentration of wealth and the domination of large corporations over the state, arguing they needed to pay their fair share of taxes. Long’s opponents called him a radical demagogue with “Bolshevistic tendencies.” Leaders of the Bolshevik Party and the Communist International, a painting by Malcolm McAllister on the Pathfinder Mural in New York City and on the cover of the book Lenin’s Final Fight published by Pathfinder. ...

Results

First Democratic Primary - January 15, 1924

Bouanchaud ran strongest in rural southern Louisiana, where Catholic voters were attracted to his French background and his strong anti-Klan position. Fuqua’s strongest vote came from the cities. The real surprise of the election was Long’s unexpectedly strong showing; he won all but three parishes in northern and central Louisiana. Huey Long Huey Pierce Long, Jr. ...

Second Democratic Primary – February 19, 1924

Even though Long refused to endorse either candidate, most of his supporters went to Fuqua in the runoff.

Sources

Compilation of Primary Election Returns of the Democratic Party, State of Louisiana. 1924.

Williams, T. Harry. Huey Long. Knopf, 1969.