GOVERNOR OSCAR K. ALLEN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 09/05/1934 - HFSID 280872

OSCAR K. ALLEN
Typed Letter signed as Governor of Louisiana (1934)
Typed Letter signed: "O. K. Allen" as Governor of Louisiana, 1 page, 8½x11. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1934 September 5. On official letterhead to Fred Arrowsmith, Glen Ridge, New Jersey. In full: "Acknowledgement is made of your letter of September 2nd, and I am glad to add my autograph to your collection. With kind regards, and best wishes for your health and happiness, I am". Oscar K. ("O.K.") Allen (1882-1936) was a key lieutenant in Huey Long's political organization, which dominated Louisiana in the early 1930s. He was elected to the state Senate in 1928, serving as Long's floor leader and leading the successful fight to block Governor Long's impeachment. Allen reached the Governor's office by an unusual route. Elected to the US Senate in 1930, Huey Long waited more than a year to assume that post, remaining Governor of Louisiana. When Lt. Governor Paul Cyr declared the Governor's office vacant on the constitutional grounds that Long could not hold state and federal offices at the same time, Long surrounded the state Capitol with the national guard, ousted Cyr on the grounds of having attempted a coup, and pushed successfully for Allen's election as Governor in 1932. He served as Governor 1932-1936. After winning the Democratic nomination to succeed the slain Huey Long in the US Senate, Allen died of a brain hemorrhage. Fold creases, not near signature. Lightly creased at corners. Fine condition.