Christmas Gift for the History Buff - "I Called Him Grand Dad" Is A Must for 1920s and 30s Politics

Nov. 27, 2010 - PRLog -- Farmerville, Louisiana - Harvey G. Fields was a four-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention and in 1945 he was asked to be a member of the rules committee.  He was a lawyer, elected as alderman of the town of Farmerville, then elected state senator and then district attorney.  In 1924 he traveled to Tennessee to watch two friends battle over the right to teach evolution in school.  It was there that he chastized Clarence Darrow for perpetuating a hoax in his defense of John Scopes.   That same year he became head of the Louisiana Democratic Central Committee. In 27 he became a law partner of Huey Long and in 28 he assumed Long's seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission when Long became Governor.  In 32 he became chairman and in 36 he was appointed Federal Prosecutor for the Western Region of Louisiana and in 39 he prepared the case that lead to the famous Louisiana Scandals which sent a standing governor and 200 others to prison.

When his papers were discovered it plugged gaps in history that never would have been filled had it not been for the painstaking care given to the papers at the time of his death.  Names such as Long, Roosevelt, Farley, Leche, Sinclair and numerous Louisiana Senators and Congressmen and Governors as well as historical figures across the South are found in the signature blocks of the correspondence.  The book has received several favorable reviews.

You can discover how Fields and Roosevelt worked together to get the Huey Long delegation seated instead of the normal delegation represented by the Ole Regulars of New Orleans.  Fields had a natorious fight witjh Carter Glass on the convention floor to finally succeed in this seating.  In exchange for Roosevelts support, the Long delegation supported the  Al Smith nomination for President.  Roosevelt was his campaign manager and later abandoned Smith for his own run for President  You will understand how Fields used the power of the press to insure that the Roosevelt favored Governor Leche administration was brought to justice and thus led to the Louisiana Scandals.  See how a man's drive for what is just and right ultimately led to his downfall.

The book, "I Called Him Grand Dad. The Lost Political Papers of Harvey G. Fields", is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble and would make a good addition under the Christmas Tree for that special person who loves to read about the true inside workings of the traumatic history of both Louisiana and National politics in the 1920s and 30s.

The discovered political papers were donated to LSU  and are now on display in the Reading Room of the Hill Memorial Library.

Book reviews can be found at Amazon.com.