Richard White talked about his book Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long, published by Random House. In his book, Mr. White chronicles the life of Louisiana’s most iconic figure in the 1930s. Huey Long was the governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. He was assassinated September 10, 1935 at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge as he was mounting a presidential bid against then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mr. White said that he wrote this book to clear up some of the myths and discrepancies generated by Huey Long’s contemporaries and by other authors. 

Mr. White based his book on interviews with people who knew Huey Long and on oral history. Mr. White said he tried to just give the facts and not opinions in writing this biography, and he wants his audience to decide for themselves whether Huey Long was a dictator, demagogue, or a democrat and to decide who was responsible for Huey Long’s death. He also responded to questions from members of the audience.