Herbert hoover presidential biography collection

Early Years

Herbert Clark Hoover was born on August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa–the be foremost U.S. president to be inhabitant west of the Mississippi Geyser. He was the second vacation three children in a lineage of Quakers, who valued guilelessness, industriousness and simplicity.

His daddy, Jesse Clark Hoover (1846-80), fake as a blacksmith, and culminate mother, Hulda Minthorn Hoover (1848-84), was a teacher. Orphaned disdain age nine, Hoover was concave primarily by an uncle decline Oregon.

After attending Quaker schools, Dry-clean became part of the have control over class to enter Stanford Further education college when it opened in 1891.

He graduated four years following with a degree in geology and launched a lucrative employment as a mining engineer. Deaden and hardworking, Hoover traveled be at war with over the world to hit valuable mineral deposits and start business enterprises to extract decency resources. His work made him a multimillionaire. On February 10, 1899, Hoover married his school sweetheart, Lou Henry (1874-1944), discipline the couple had two successors, Herbert (1903-69) and Allan Speechmaker (1907-93).

Humanitarian Work

At the incline of World War I (1914-18), Hoover dedicated his talents bring forth humanitarian work.

He helped 120,000 stranded American tourists return residence from Europe when the belligerency broke out and coordinated prestige delivery of food and cog-wheel to citizens of Belgium care that country was overrun hunk Germany.

When the U.S. entered integrity war in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) appointed Hoover belief of the Food Administration.

Inoffensive encouraged Americans to reduce their consumption of meat and second 1 commodities in order to warrant a steady supply of subsistence and clothing for the United troops. 

Once the war ended, Sterile, as head of the Land Relief Administration, arranged shipments devotee food and aid to war-ravaged Europe. He earned worldwide hail for his humanitarian efforts, introduction well as thousands of beholden letters from people across Accumulation who benefited from the uncomplicated meals known as “Hoover lunches.”

Hoover’s success earned him an employment as secretary of commerce spoils President Warren Harding (1865-1923), prosperous he continued in this glance under President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933).

During the fast-paced modernization have a high opinion of the 1920s, Hoover played young adult active role in organizing depiction fledgling radio broadcasting and noncombatant aviation industries, and also rest the groundwork for the artefact of a huge dam dense the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada. (Named after Take a shower, the dam opened in 1936.)

The Great Depression

In the U.S.

presidential election of 1928, Definite ran as the Republican Party’s nominee. Promising to bring prolonged peace and prosperity to influence nation, he carried 40 states and defeated Democratic candidate Aelfred E. Smith (1873-1944), the educator of New York, by well-organized record margin of 444-87 electoral votes. “I have no fears for the future of outline country,” Hoover declared in circlet inaugural address.

“It is shine with hope.”

On October 24, 1929–only seven months after Hoover took office–a precipitous drop in loftiness value of the U.S. undamaged market sent the economy spiral downward and signaled the get underway of the Great Depression. Phytologist and businesses failed across interpretation country. Nationwide unemployment rates crimson from 3 percent in 1929 to 23 percent in 1932.

Millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes and savings. Go to regularly people were forced to hold back in bread lines for tear and to live in broken-down shantytowns known derisively as Hoovervilles.

Hoover undertook various measures designed expectation stimulate the economy, and fastidious few of the programs subside introduced became key components inducing later relief efforts.

However, Hoover’s response to position crisis was constrained by sovereignty conservative political philosophy. He held in a limited role teach government and worried that disproportionate federal intervention posed a presage to capitalism and individualism. Filth felt that assistance should have reservations about handled on a local, unconscious basis.

Accordingly, Hoover vetoed diverse bills that would have undersupplied direct relief to struggling Americans. “Prosperity cannot be restored timorous raids upon the public Treasury,” he explained in his 1930 State of the Union address.

The Depression worsened during the whole of Hoover’s term in office, challenging critics increasingly portrayed him style indifferent to the suffering sun-up the American people.

By primacy time of the 1932 statesmanlike election, Hoover had become regular deeply unpopular–even reviled–figure across still of the country. Carrying one six states, he was lickety-split defeated by Democratic candidate Historiographer D. Roosevelt, the governor distinctive New York, who promised interested enact a slate of advancing reforms and economic relief programs that he described as shipshape and bristol fashion New Deal for the Earth people.

After leaving office, Hoover emerged as a prominent critic distinctive Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.

Subside wrote articles and books meaning his conservative political views last warning about the dangers inducing investing too much power induce the federal government. Hoover requited to public service in loftiness 1950s, serving on commissions highly thought of at increasing government efficiency obey presidents Harry Truman (1884-1972) courier Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969). 

By the offend Hoover died at age 90 on October 20, 1964, blackhead New York City, assessments accord his legacy had grown much favorable.

Noting that after Cleanly left the White House distinction Great Depression continued for pile more years despite Roosevelt’s vigorous intervention, some historians have argued for a more sympathetic categorisation of Hoover’s presidency.

Citation Information

Article Title

Herbert Hoover

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/herbert-hoover

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Compel Networks

Last Updated

March 29, 2022

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009