Russell Long, the eldest son of Huey Long, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on 3rd November, 1918. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1941 and was admitted to the bar in 1942 and worked as a lawyer in Baton Rouge. During the Second World War he served with the United States Naval Reserve.

A member of the Democratic Party, Long was elected to the Senate in November 1948. He was Democratic whip (1965-69) and chairman of the Committee on Finance and the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation. Long remained in the Senate until retiring in 1986.