Baby born two months early, named Speedy

Louisiana politician Speedy Long (1928-2006)
Speedy Long

In 1928, Felix and Verda Long of Louisiana welcomed a baby boy they named Speedy.

Why “Speedy”?

Born on a hot afternoon in June in a two-room shotgun house in Tullos, he spent the first hours of his life in a stove. His premature birth at seven months was the genesis of his name — Speedy. “When the old country doctor came, he said, ‘Oh, you can just throw that in the garbage.’ But my grandmother, being an old midwife, wrapped me in a blanket and stuffed me in the oven of an old potbelly wood stove,” said Speedy Long. The heat helped him survive.

Speedy Oteria Long — like many other members of the Long family (including cousin Huey P. Long) — ended up going into politics.

He was a Louisiana State Senator from 1956 to 1964, then a U.S. Representative from Louisiana’s 8th District from 1965 to 1973.

He also ran for governor of Louisiana twice, in 1971 and 1987, but was defeated both times. His catchy campaign slogan in 1987 was, “Right the wrong with Speedy Long.”

Sources:

2 thoughts on “Baby born two months early, named Speedy

  1. The prep school in my area just announced it’s new National Honor Society members, including a student named Speed. Since all the other students appeared to be listed by their full names (Robert, Matthew, etc.), I have to assume Speed is his given name.

  2. Oh that’s interesting. I wonder how he got it. (Maybe a family surname?)

    And, good for him for making the National Honor Society. :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.