Huey Long's Towering Tombstone
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The towering tombstone of Huey Long seems tailored to his outsized ambition and ego, but he had nothing to do with it. Huey was only 42 when he was shot dead. He was thinking about what he'd do when he became President of the United States, not what his grave would look like.
Since the Louisiana statehouse was Huey's second home, it seemed fitting that he be buried in its front lawn. His tomb-topping statue -- easily one of the largest in America of a politician -- faces the building, which is also the place where he received his mortal wound. With Huey cracking the whip, the statehouse was built in a mere two years. Without him, it took five years to build his grave.
Huey's tombstone is an 18-foot-tall pillar of carved marble surmounted with a 12-foot-tall bronze Huey. It was sculpted by Charles Keck, who had earlier sculpted another memorable grave statue. Relief carvings in the pillar feature Huey distributing free school books, guiding the construction of the capitol building behind him, and receiving worshipful looks from the grateful citizens of Louisiana. The front of the pillar has a rearing Pegasus wrapped in the banner, "Share Our Wealth," which was the name of Huey's Robin-Hood-style plan to take money from the rich and give it to the poor.
Perhaps inspired by Huey Long's lofty tribute, the minister who delivered the eulogy at Huey's funeral later went on to bankroll the Tallest Jesus in the U.S.