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Long and his twin brother, Carroll Long, were the last of eight sons born to Reuben Ray Long (1900-1966) and the former Ruby Smith (1906-1984). Ruby Smith's brother, [[P. K. Smith]], later an automobile dealer in Winnfield, was a member of the Louisiana House from Winn Parish from 1960 to 1964. P. K. Smith's son, [[Mike Smith (Louisiana Politician)|Mike Smith]], served twelve years in the Louisiana State Senate as a Democrat from 1996 to 2008. Term-limited, Mike Smith preceded his cousin, Gerald Long, in the District 31 Senate seat.

Long and his twin brother, Carroll Long, were the last of eight sons born to Reuben Ray Long (1900-1966) and the former Ruby Smith (1906-1984). Ruby Smith's brother, [[P. K. Smith]], later an automobile dealer in Winnfield, was a member of the Louisiana House from Winn Parish from 1960 to 1964. P. K. Smith's son, [[Mike Smith (Louisiana Politician)|Mike Smith]], served twelve years in the Louisiana State Senate as a Democrat from 1996 to 2008. Term-limited, Mike Smith preceded his cousin, Gerald Long, in the District 31 Senate seat.

Reuben Long was originally a poor Winn Parish sharecropper. Long's paternal grandparents were Thomas Jefferson Long (1861-1948) and the former Mary Ella Wright (186-1902). [[Gillis Long]], a former [[U.S. Representative]] for Louisiana's 8th congressional district, disbanded in 1993, was also a paternal grandson of Thomas Jefferson Long and hence Gerald Long's first cousin. An older brother of Gerald Long, Jimmy Dale Long, Sr. (1931-2016), served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1968 to 2000 as a Democrat from [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]]. In that capacity, Jimmy Long became known as a leading legislative authority on education, an area which would also become important in Gerald Long's career as an educator and a motivational speaker. Another brother is Dr. William Jackson "Bill" Long (born 1940), a former planning commission executive in [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria] in Rapides Parish, who was the publisher of "The Louisiana Business Journal" and a former weekly newspaper in [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]] known as ''The Red River Journal.'' Bill Long also owned Sunbelt Research Corporation. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1983, having lost to fellow Democrat [[Bobby Freeman]]. Gerald Long was a distant cousin of former Pineville [[Mayor]] [[Floyd Smith|Floyd W. Smith, Jr.]] whose mother was a Long. Floyd Smith spent his later years near his native Winnfield in Winn Parish.<ref>[http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=jimmy+d.+long+of+natchitoches+genealogy&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&x=wrt&u=www.libertychapelcemetery.org/files/family/long02.html&w=jimmy+d+long+natchitoches+genealogy&d=XbIjkOxsOMgC&icp=1&.intl=us Yahoo! Search Results for jimmy d. long of natchitoches genealogy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Reuben Long was originally a poor Winn Parish sharecropper. Long's paternal grandparents were Thomas Jefferson Long (1861-1948) and the former Mary Ella Wright (186-1902). [[Gillis Long]], a former [[U.S. Representative]] for Louisiana's 8th congressional district, disbanded in 1993, was also a paternal grandson of Thomas Jefferson Long and hence Gerald Long's first cousin. An older brother of Gerald Long, Jimmy Dale Long, Sr. (1931-2016), served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1968 to 2000 as a Democrat from [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]]. In that capacity, Jimmy Long became known as a leading legislative authority on education, an area which would also become important in Gerald Long's career as an educator and a motivational speaker. Another brother is Dr. William Jackson "Bill" Long (born 1940), a former planning commission executive in [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria] in Rapides Parish, who was the publisher of "The Louisiana Business Journal" and a former weekly newspaper in [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]] known as ''The Red River Journal.'' Bill Long also owned Sunbelt Research Corporation. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1983, having lost to fellow Democrat [[Robert "Bobby" Freeman]]. Gerald Long was a distant cousin of former Pineville [[Mayor]] [[Floyd Smith|Floyd W. Smith, Jr.]] whose mother was a Long. Floyd Smith spent his later years near his native Winnfield in Winn Parish.<ref>[http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=jimmy+d.+long+of+natchitoches+genealogy&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&x=wrt&u=www.libertychapelcemetery.org/files/family/long02.html&w=jimmy+d+long+natchitoches+genealogy&d=XbIjkOxsOMgC&icp=1&.intl=us Yahoo! Search Results for jimmy d. long of natchitoches genealogy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Education and work history==

==Education and work history==