Herbert Hoover’s Background
Herbert Hoover was born in West Branch, Iowa on August 10, 1874. He was the second of three children, born to his parents who were both Quakers. He was also the first president to be born west of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately by the age of nine both of his parents had died and he and his siblings went to Oregon to be raised by their uncle. Hoover attended Stanford University in 1891 (the school’s opening year) and graduated in 1895 with a degree in geology. He became a mining engineer who travelled around the world mining minerals and as a result of hard work and determination, became a multimillionaire. In February of 1899 he married his college sweetheart Lou Henry and together they had 2 children.
By the outbreak of WWI Herbert Hoover had begun to do humanitarian work with one of his more notable accomplishments being helping stranded American tourists out of Europe during the beginning of the war. He also coordinated the food and supplies being delivered to Belgium after it was overrun by Germany. He was recognized worldwide for his humanitarian efforts and the meals he helped provide in Europe became known as “Hoover Lunches”. In 1917 Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover head of the U.S. Food Administration and as a result he encouraged Americans to cut back on meat and other foods in order to allow for more food for the troops. Hoover also became Secretary of Commerce and helped organizing radio broadcasting and civilian aviation industries. He also laid the groundwork for the construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.
For the election of 1928 he ran as the republican nominee and defeated the democratic nominee, Alfred E. Smith. Just 7 months after taking office the stock market crashed and what became known as the Great Depression began. As the depression continued Americans began to take an unfavorable view of Hoover as he vetoed a bill that would provide direct relief to Americans and he didn’t do enough to help stimulate the economy. After just one term he was replaced by Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. Herbert Hoover died on October 20, 1964.
In my opinion, Hoover had a very successful life before his presidency despite being an orphan at age 9. During his presidency, however, from what I read, I feel he could’ve done more to help stimulate the economy and give relief to those affected. While I don’t think he was our worst president, he’s not near as good as Theodore Roosevelt was.
Sources:
"About Herbert Hoover | Hoover Institution." About Herbert Hoover | Hoover Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. <http://www.hoover.org/about/herbert-hoover>;.
"Herbert Hoover Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/herbert-hoover-9343371?page=1>;.
"Herbert Hoover." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/herbert-hoover>.
Comments
Very well done Levi!