I remember learning in AP US History about a guy from Louisiana (I want to say 1800s) who advocated some radical tax policy of wealth redistribution. I don't remember him describing himself as a socialist, but his idea surely was heavily redistributionist. I'm sure there were many figures like this, but I guess this one is famous enough to be in an AP US History textbook. Anyone know who he was? Thanks.
Not pre-20th century, but it sounds like you are almost certainly talking about Huey Long, Governor and US Senator from Louisiana during the Great Depression who was a populist and created the "Share our Wealth" program, which advocated a form of wealth redistribution. He was planning a run for President in 1936 against FDR, but was assassinated in 1935.
Interestingly Robert Penn Warren's novel All the King's Men is based off of the story of Huey Long. An excellent non-fiction biography of Long is T. Harry William's 1970 book Huey Long