He was the most extraordinary politician, businessman, medicine man, and promoter imaginable. Coozan Dudley LeBlanc traces the life of this singular Cajun entrepreneur who, almost singlehandedly, revolutionized American product advertising. He spent millions to promote Hadacol, his alcohol-saturated, vitamin-mineral patent medicine.

With heavy advertising, contests, and the Hadacol caravan-- a traveling road show featuring a dazzling cast of Hollywood stars, beauty queens, and circus antics-- LeBlanc parlayed his elixir into an amazing overnight success. America had never seen anything like it.

But before the 1950s Hadacol phenomenon, LeBlanc had made his mark in the hurly-burly politics of his native Louisiana. As a state legislator, he had championed a steady stream of legislation to increase benefits to the poor and aged. Bold, flashy, and determined, he frequently clashed with the Louisiana Kingfish, Huey Long, in a power struggle that ended only with Long's assassination.