ABSTRACT
Long became governor in 1928, and even after his election to the Senate two years later he continued to rule Louisiana very much as he pleased. He dominated the legislature, curbed the press, and built a disciplined political machine. Women also played new roles in social welfare and political life. Several women with expertise in social welfare assumed high-level federal government posts. The leading example was Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, the first woman cabinet member, who had a long career in social welfare. The first woman appointed to the federal court of appeals, Ellen Woodward, who headed women's work relief projects under the Civil Works Administration, Mary Anderson, head of the federal Women's Bureau. The federal government did not again undertake a large-scale program of support for the performing arts until 1965, when Congress created the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). It eventually ran into problems not unlike those encountered by the Federal Theater.
