The history of the state spans three centuries since the first European settlement. Yet Americans associate Louisiana with the Long brothers. This linkage is particularly paradoxical because their reign was so remarkably brief, only thirty-two years. Huey Long became governor in 1928, and Earl Long died in 1960 after serving three terms as governor. That these two men who governed so briefly have come to symbolize the quintessence of Louisiana is a tribute to their dynamic personalities, their eccentric and often humorous behavior, and the unbridled political power that they wielded within their home state. Scholars fail to agree on the effect the Longs had upon their state. Were they demagogues and dictators or democrats and rustic humanitarians? Did they do good or ill? No one seems able to agree.