Win the Race or Die Trying

Uncle Earl's Last Hurrah

Biography & Memoir, Political, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Win the Race or Die Trying by Jack B. McGuire, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jack B. McGuire ISBN: 9781496807649
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: July 21, 2016
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Jack B. McGuire
ISBN: 9781496807649
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: July 21, 2016
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

Earl Kemp Long (1895-1960) was the political heir to his brother Huey in Louisiana politics. A country boy who never lost his common touch, he ran for office in every state election between 1933 and 1959. He was the best campaigning politician Louisiana ever produced. In his final term as governor, he suffered a breakdown on live television while addressing members of the legislature. He was kidnapped and committed to mental institutions in Texas and Louisiana. That he engineered his own release gives proof that he was in charge of his faculties.

Abandoned by his family and his allies, Long was written off politically. But in 1960, he had other ideas. He was plotting his comeback. In poor health, smoking and drinking, he decided to challenge the incumbent in Louisiana's Eighth Congressional District, Harold McSween. Doctors warned him that the race could cost him his life. But politics was his life, and he vowed to win the election or die trying. He did both.

This book tells the story of the last year of Long's life and the campaign that he waged and won by sheer force of will. He won the election (and a sizable bet he placed on it), but he was dead in just over a week. Win the Race or Die Trying captures the essence of Earl Long by chronicling the desperate, death-defying campaign he waged to redefine his legacy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Earl Kemp Long (1895-1960) was the political heir to his brother Huey in Louisiana politics. A country boy who never lost his common touch, he ran for office in every state election between 1933 and 1959. He was the best campaigning politician Louisiana ever produced. In his final term as governor, he suffered a breakdown on live television while addressing members of the legislature. He was kidnapped and committed to mental institutions in Texas and Louisiana. That he engineered his own release gives proof that he was in charge of his faculties.

Abandoned by his family and his allies, Long was written off politically. But in 1960, he had other ideas. He was plotting his comeback. In poor health, smoking and drinking, he decided to challenge the incumbent in Louisiana's Eighth Congressional District, Harold McSween. Doctors warned him that the race could cost him his life. But politics was his life, and he vowed to win the election or die trying. He did both.

This book tells the story of the last year of Long's life and the campaign that he waged and won by sheer force of will. He won the election (and a sizable bet he placed on it), but he was dead in just over a week. Win the Race or Die Trying captures the essence of Earl Long by chronicling the desperate, death-defying campaign he waged to redefine his legacy.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book A Guide to Moist-Soil Wetland Plants of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book William F. Winter and the New Mississippi by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Conversations with Vladimir Nabokov by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Remaking Dixie by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Mary Wickes by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Florida's Miracle Strip by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Swapping Stories by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book The Black Cultural Front by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book David Fincher by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Faulkner and His Contemporaries by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Howard Chaykin by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book George P. Knauff's Virginia Reels and the History of American Fiddling by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book Stanley Kubrick by Jack B. McGuire
Cover of the book A Boy Named Sue by Jack B. McGuire
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy