THE HOUSE THAT

The history of Louisiana’s Old Governor's Mansion reflects a larger story of profound political change, as well as the legendary ambition and guile of the man who built it, Huey Long.

In the years after the Civil War, New Orleans proudly bore the title of the state's capital. In 1881, when political tides began to turn, Baton Rouge reclaimed that honor. 

At first, the state's governors were accommodated in rented houses in the city. The last of these houses, a classic mid-century Victorian featuring a patterned slate roof, stood on the corner of Convention at Third Street. In 1886, Governor Samuel D. McEnery made his residence there, with the state paying the $900 annual rent.

By 1887, conservatives were powerful enough to push through a bill to purchase the first Louisiana governor’s mansion. McEnery chose a house built by Nathan Knox in 1857. It was on the south side of North Boulevard between Royal and St. Charles. The state bought the Knox House for $10,000 from the heirs of Nathan Knox.

The Knox House was regarded as an emblem of post-Confederate conservatism. It was antebellum, aristocratic, and built by slaves.  

This first Governor’s Mansion became so closely associated with “the Old South” that, when Huey Long was elected and his progressive political machine became entrenched, he had it torn down – to deliver a message.

How that happened makes for a page-turner.

Political thriller

Almost immediately upon taking office, Long began planning for a new governor’s mansion. He saw himself as a “man of destiny who was put here for a purpose,” and building symbols like the Old Governor’s Mansion helped define his purpose to the public. 

Huey Long was said to have calculated every move of his grand political strategy, including becoming president of the United States, according to his wife, Rose McConnell Long. “It almost gave you the cold chills to hear him tell about it…he was measuring it all,” she told biographer T. Harry Williams.

Better than his rivals, Huey understood the value of symbolism in wielding political power. The new governor’s mansion he planned would be a potent declaration of his political aims. 

Initially however, public sentiment was against building the governor a new mansion so to achieve his goal, Long would have to circumvent several obstacles. For one thing, the existing governor’s mansion, the Knox House, was a Baton Rouge landmark. It was also in an upper–middle class neighborhood settled by conservatives who opposed Long.  

Another problem the governor faced was that he had not yet established enough control of the legislature to push money through for a new mansion.

Plots and vermin

Huey Long worked steadily and stealthily, and by October of 1928, he had accumulated enough influence to set his plans in motion. His public maneuvering began at a Louisiana Board of Liquidation hearing on October 26. Long eased into a discussion about the existing mansion, offering an incentive to the Board - they could redirect $5,000 from the $6,000 mansion construction fund to add heat to the Louisiana State House. 

With votes from Long’s supporters, the Board accepted his ostensible generosity. 

Then came the second gambit. According to minutes from the meeting, he told the board that the “governor's mansion had become infested with termites, and is in a condition making it unsafe for further occupancy.” The workmen had reported to him that the building was so badly infested with termites, which had made such great headway, that repairs could not be made.” 

Three months later at a meeting of the same board, Long suggested replacing the Knox House with a new mansion on the same site. The board resolution required Long to ask the legislature to let the Louisiana Board of Liquidation borrow $150,000, or as much as was necessary, for building and furnishing a new mansion. 

Long did not stick to the conditions of the resolution. Instead, he began feeding stories to the press that the mansion was unsafe and a replacement was necessary. In January 1929, the State-Times, a Baton Rouge newspaper, reported that Long had received approval from the Legislature to build the mansion. This was patently false. 

Huey did what Huey wanted. He rang up lawmakers he knew would support his plan for a new mansion, tallying enough support via phone calls to claim he had approval, however, that was not true. The the state constitution only allowed the legislature to make laws and approve budgets during sessions. 

Long’s deception caused an uproar among Baton Rouge residents and state lawmakers. Huey countered by shrewdly using the press to push his narrative - the mansion was infested with bugs and rats.

Paraphrasing Long, an undated report stated, “He said he was ashamed to entertain visiting potentates and dignitaries in the place, and that a state as grand and glorious as Louisiana ought to own a governor’s mansion that would command the envy of other commonwealths.”

Prisoners in tow

There are conflicting newspaper reports as to what happened next, but they agree on one point. Long used convicts from the Louisiana State Penitentiary to remove the contents of the Knox House and truck them back to the state prison. Supervised by prison guards, the convicts then tore down the house with breathtaking speed.

Attorney Cecil Morgan, who witnessed the event as a Louisiana State Representative, offered this colorful account, “Long led a ‘parade’ of convicts and trucks from the prison down Florida Boulevard and across Fifth Street to the mansion. At that point, under Huey’s personal direction, the convicts removed the contents of the house, ‘none too gently,’ to trucks which headed back to the prison. This left Huey on the site with the prisoners and their guards and he then turned the convicts loose on the building, which they proceeded to tear down within six hours.”

Huey’s opposition howled. They understood that the governor wasn’t just dismantling the Knox House. He was leveling their dominant political structure.

Design with symbolism

Governor Long had made it clear to all that he was going to change Louisiana, whether or not he had the legal authority to do so. On February 26, 1929, a day after the Knox House was razed, the Board of Liquidation, which Huey controlled by proxy, approved plans for the new mansion. The architectural firm Weiss, Dreyfous and Seiferth of New Orleans, was selected to design a mansion on the North Boulevard site, four blocks from the Mississippi River.

According to Dr. Vincent J. Campanella, a doctor involved in politics, Long walked into Weiss’ office in New Orleans, pulled a $20 bill out of his wallet, slapped it upside down on Weiss’ desk, and said, “I want that.” 

That unverified story has circulated since the 1930s, becoming part of the history and myth about Huey Long’s ambition. Long wanted a mansion that resembled the White House– a symbol of his power and aspiration to rise to the presidency.

On October 4, 1929, the Board of Liquidation, now under the control of Long’s friends, gave permission to start constructing the replacement mansion. The company J.V. and R.T. Burkees of New Orleans was the low bidder at $111,000. The firm was known for its attention to details.

Construction began in early 1930, with Long often onsite, pressing for completion before the legislature's May session. The work was finished on time and the mansion was shown off in June. 

French wallpaper, English chairs

The building is mostly Georgian, a style rooted in English history, much like Huey’s family. The mansion also has French and Louisiana elements. The most obvious French feature is the mansard roofed attic with its round-topped dormers and the state seal, surrounded by classical Roman garlands, centered over the front door. 

The walls of the basement and first floor are made of reinforced concrete, the second floor boasts 18-inch solid brick walls, and the third floor is framed. The outside is made of stucco and the inside of decorative plaster. 

The building’s most prominent interior color is green, Long’s favorite. Gold and cream tones accent the main hue. The marble is American, some from Alabama, and the chandeliers are believed to be French imports sourced by an antique store in New Orleans.

In the state dining room, the hand-blocked wallpaper is made by Zuber from Alsace, France. The furniture was English, with Chippendale chairs and a Duncan Phyfe table, according to a 1930 report in the New Orleans Item Tribune. 

Other features include an enormous marble fireplace in the main room, offices originally intended for state troopers that offered round-the-clock protection, and a hidden staircase to access second floor bedrooms and a sleeping porch. The property also boasts a beautiful rose garden hidden in the back behind the mansion.

Jimmie Davis slept here

Though Long built the house, he did not spend much time there. He lived mostly in suites in Baton Rouge and New Orleans hotels, as well as the family's private homes in New Orleans and Shreveport.

Alvin Olin King was the first governor to live in the mansion. He served the last three months of Long’s term when Long was elected to the U.S. Senate. 

Oscar K. Allen was the first elected governor to live in the house and is among the nine governors who resided there with their families. Following Governor Allen were James Noe, Richard Leche, Sam Jones, Robert Kennon, Earl Long and Jimmie Davis.

The building was reconfigured for easier use by Gov. Leche, constituting the only major change to the original blueprint.

Jimmie Davis was the last governor to occupy the mansion on North Boulevard. Famous for singing “You are my Sunshine,” Davis advocated for a new mansion, saying that Huey’s mansion was too expensive to modernize and too far from the relocated State Capitol building. 

Governor Davis’ mansion, which opened in 1963, is a short walk from the new State Capitol. Although constructed in the Greek Revival style to resemble Oak Alley, a former Louisiana plantation home, some consider it uninteresting when compared to Huey’s place.  

In the 1970s, the Louisiana Art & Science Center, now the Louisiana Art and Science Museum, took over the abandoned mansion, adding a planetarium and air conditioning. After the organization left the house for a new riverfront location, the state eventually reclaimed and restored the mansion. Under the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office, the Old Governor’s Mansion is a grand house museum that also serves as a place for weddings and other important events.

This account is adapted from the history of the Old Governor’s Mansion and its symbolism written by John Dalzell, complemented by various newspaper accounts.