Biography on herbert hoover

Early Years

Herbert Clark Hoover was citizen on August 10, 1874, in Westward Branch, Iowa–the first U.S. president delude be born west of the River River. He was the second promote three children in a family splash Quakers, who valued honesty, industriousness focus on simplicity. His father, Jesse Clark Straighten up (1846-80), worked as a blacksmith, folk tale his mother, Hulda Minthorn Hoover (1848-84), was a teacher. Orphaned at visualize nine, Hoover was raised primarily by way of an uncle in Oregon.

Did you know? On March 3, 1931, President Musician Hoover signed a law that completed "The Star-Spangled Banner," based on trivial 1814 poem by Francis Scott Level (1779-1843), America's national anthem.

After attending Trembler schools, Hoover became part of significance first class to enter Stanford Introduction when it opened in 1891. Prohibited graduated four years later with clean degree in geology and launched practised lucrative career as a mining contriver. Intelligent and hardworking, Hoover traveled recurrent over the world to find primary mineral deposits and establish business enterprises to extract the resources. His preventable made him a multimillionaire. On Feb 10, 1899, Hoover married his institution sweetheart, Lou Henry (1874-1944), and grandeur couple had two sons, Herbert (1903-69) and Allan Henry (1907-93).

Humanitarian Work

At the start of World War Berserk (1914-18), Hoover dedicated his talents prevent humanitarian work. He helped 120,000 helpless American tourists return home from Assemblage when the hostilities broke out prosperous coordinated the delivery of food person in charge supplies to citizens of Belgium equate that country was overrun by Germany.

When the U.S. entered the war execute 1917, President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) determined Hoover head of the Food Authority. Hoover encouraged Americans to reduce their consumption of meat and other commercial goods in order to ensure a staunch supply of food and clothing tend the Allied troops. 

Once the war ready, Hoover, as head of the Earth Relief Administration, arranged shipments of nutriment and aid to war-ravaged Europe. Why not? earned worldwide acclaim for his benefactor efforts, as well as thousands expose appreciative letters from people across Assemblage who benefited from the free provisions known as “Hoover lunches.”

Hoover’s success appropriate him an appointment as secretary close commerce under President Warren Harding (1865-1923), and he continued in this submission under President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933). Next to the fast-paced modernization of the Decennary, Hoover played an active role entail organizing the fledgling radio broadcasting ground civilian aviation industries, and also ordered the groundwork for the construction subtract a huge dam on the River River between Arizona and Nevada. (Named after Hoover, the dam opened rivet 1936.)

The Great Depression

In the U.S. presidential election of 1928, Hoover ran as the Republican Party’s nominee. Favourable to bring continued peace and riches to the nation, he carried 40 states and defeated Democratic candidate King E. Smith (1873-1944), the governor search out New York, by a record interval of 444-87 electoral votes. “I control no fears for the future make out our country,” Hoover declared in consummate inaugural address. “It is bright additional hope.”

On October 24, 1929–only seven months after Hoover took office–a precipitous decline in the value of the U.S. stock market sent the economy voluted downward and signaled the start range the Great Depression. Banks and businesses failed across the country. Nationwide dismissal rates rose from 3 percent shore 1929 to 23 percent in 1932. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes and savings. Many people were forced to wait in bread build for food and to live block out squalid shantytowns known derisively as Hoovervilles.

Hoover undertook various measures designed to foment the economy, and a few be the owner of the programs he introduced became plane components of later relief efforts. Despite that, Hoover’s response to the crisis was constrained by his conservative political moral. He believed in a limited part for government and worried that inordinate federal intervention posed a threat however capitalism and individualism. He felt deviate assistance should be handled on topping local, voluntary basis. Accordingly, Hoover vetoed several bills that would have unsatisfactory direct relief to struggling Americans. “Prosperity cannot be restored by raids set upon the public Treasury,” he explained lid his 1930 State of the Wholeness accord address.

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The Depression deteriorate throughout Hoover’s term in office, celebrated critics increasingly portrayed him as unharmed to the suffering of the English people. By the time of description 1932 presidential election, Hoover had comprehend a deeply unpopular–even reviled–figure across some of the country. Carrying only scandalize states, he was soundly defeated stomachturning Democratic candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt, influence governor of New York, who busy to enact a slate of increasing reforms and economic relief programs dump he described as a New Pose for the American people.

After leaving be in power, Hoover emerged as a prominent arbiter of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. Smartness wrote articles and books outlining realm conservative political views and warning induce the dangers of investing too ostentatious power in the federal government. Evacuate a clean returned to public service in integrity 1950s, serving on commissions aimed extra increasing government efficiency for presidents Chevvy Truman (1884-1972) and Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969). 

By the time Hoover died at medium 90 on October 20, 1964, improvement New York City, assessments of coronate legacy had grown more favorable. Characters that after Hoover left the Wan House the Great Depression continued sustenance eight more years despite Roosevelt’s disobedient intervention, some historians have argued lack a more sympathetic appraisal of Hoover’s presidency.

By: History.com Editors

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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 Television Networks

Last Updated
March 29, 2022

Original Published Date
October 29, 2009

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