Gillis William Long | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 8th district |
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In office January 3, 1973 – January 20, 1985 |
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Preceded by | Speedy O. Long |
Succeeded by | Catherine Small Long |
In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965 |
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Preceded by | Harold B. McSween |
Succeeded by | Speedy O. Long |
Personal details | |
Born |
Winnfield, Winn Parish, Louisiana, USA |
May 4, 1923
Died | January 20, 1985 Washington, D.C. |
(aged 61)
Cause of death | Heart failure |
Resting place | Alexandria National Cemetery in Pineville, Louisiana |
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse(s) | Catherine Small Long (born 1924) |
Occupation | Investment banker |
Military service | |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | World War II |
Gillis William Long (May 4, 1923 – January 20, 1985) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Louisiana's 8th congressional district, based about Alexandria, but since disbanded. He was a member of the Long family. Long served seven non-consecutive terms in the House but placed third in two campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nominations in 1963 and 1971. Long served in Congress between 1963 and 1965, and again from 1973 until his death from a heart attack in Washington, D.C. in 1985. Though he was elected to an eighth term in the House in 1984, he died seventeen days into that term.
In its April 29, 2007, edition, Long's hometown newspaper, the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, declared that Long, along with legendary attorney Camille Gravel and American Civil War General William T. Sherman, were the three most significant historical persons to have been associated with Alexandria.
Long was born in Winn Parish to Floyd Harrison Long, Sr. (1883–1951), and the former Birdie Shumake (1892–1984). His paternal grandparents were Thomas Jefferson Long (1861–1948) and Mary Ella Wright. Among others, he was a cousin of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., Russell B. Long, George Shannon Long, Speedy O. Long, Jimmy D. Long, Donald Long, Dr. Bill Long, Carroll Long, Gerald Long, Earl Kemp Long, Floyd W. Smith, Jr., and Mary Alice Long Rambo, wife of legislator W.L. Rambo.