Minister of Hate

Glen Jeansonne and David Luhrrsen on Gerald L.K. Smith, orator of the far right

On a September afternoon in 1935, the Reverend Gerald L.K. Smith preached the eulogy for the recently deceased US Senator Huey Long before the 150,000 mourners gathered outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s skyscraper capitol building. ‘This tragedy fires the souls of us who adored him,’ Smith said of Louisiana’s controversial demagogue and politician, assassinated a few days earlier near the spot where Smith spoke. ‘He was the unfinished symphony’.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.