October 1, 2019 (Tuesday)
Herbert Hoover was born August 10, 1874 in West Branch, Iowa, and died October 20, 1964 in New York, New York. He married Lou Henry and thy had two sons, Herbert and Allan. He was inaugurated at age 54 and served as president 1929-1933. He was a Republican.
Herbert Hoover is known for being the president during the stock market crash of 1929 which triggered the start of the Great Depression.
Hoover was born in Iowa, the son of a blacksmith. However, both his parents died when he was young and he became an orphan. When he was ten he moved to Oregon to live with his uncle. Herbert was smart and hard working as a child.
Hoover attended Stanford University in California where he earned a degree in geology. After graduating he went to work for mining companies in different locations around the world including Australia and China.
When World War I broke out, Hoover was living in England. He helped to evacuate 120,000 Americans from throughout Europe. Later in the war, he took on the job of keeping refugees fed throughout Europe. At one point his organization was feeding 10.5 million people a day. He did such an excellent job that the President of the United States noticed his work.
Hoover was part of Harding’s cabinet,but was not involved in any of the scandals of that administration. As a result, he was able to stay on when Harding died and President Calvin Coolidge took over and cleaned house. As Secretary of Commerce, Hoover organized various public works throughout the country. One such work was the Boulder Dam on the Colorado River. It was later renamed the Hoover Dam.
Hoover gained the reputation of an honest, intelligent, hard worker and was asked to run for president in the next election. He easily won taking 40 of the 48 states. He was the first president born west of the Mississippi River. He was the first Quaker president. He did not accept his salary for president, but had it donated to charity.
Hoover’s presidency and legacy will forever be defined by the stock market crash of 1929 that occurred just a few short months after he took the office. The country entered the worst economic crisis in its history. Although the collapse wasn’t Hoover’s fault he took much of the blame. He also didn’t do a lot to try and help the poor and unemployed. Homeless camps became known as Hoovervilles.
Hoover was soundly defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the next election. People needed a change and Roosevelt offered hope.
Herbert Hoover lived a long full life after leaving the presidency. During World War II he came back to work to help with food relief again. He also worked on a commission for both President Truman and Eisenhower to find ways to cut costs in government. Hoover died in 1964 at the age of 90.
>Herbert Hoover – President 1929-1933