Hoover's Life & Person

>> Hoover was born August 10, 1874 in West Branch, Iowa.

>> Grew up in Oregon, son of a Quaker blacksmith.

>> Enrolled at Stanford University 1891 where he met his future wife, Lou Henry.

>> He graduated in 1895 with a degree in geology and started working as a mining consultant .

>> He first worked for the United States Geological Survey in the Sierra Nevada range and the then went on to work for Bewick, a London-based mine operator who sent him to the Sons of Gwalia gold mine in Western Australia. He also work at gold mines in Big Bell, Coolgardie, Menzies, Leonora and Cue.

>> In 1899 he married Lou Henry and then they moved to China where Hoover worked as leading engineer for a private corporation.

>> The Hoovers we’re in Tianjin, China during the Boxer Rebellion.

>>Appointed head of the Food Administration during WWI.

>> Served as United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge.

>> Hoover then was nominated the Republican Presidential Candidate in 1928 and won against Democratic candidate Alfred E. Smith.

>> The Stock Market Crash of 1929 took place during his first term in office and was largely the reason he was not elected for a second term.

>> He died in New York City on October 20, 1964 at 90 years old.

Hoover's Wife, Lou Henry Hoover, and their sons

The Presidential Election of 1928

After Coolidge decided not to run for a second term in office, Hoover became the leading GOP candidate challenged only by Frank Lowden. Hoover quickly left Lowden behind due to a large amount of positive press coverage in the months preceding the GOP convention. When Hoover was named the Republican candidate he selected Senator Charles Curtis as his running mate.

In the general election, Hoover ran against Democratic candidate Alfred E. Smith. Smith was a Roman Catholic and during this period a very anti-Catholic feeling was present in America from many protestant communities. This, along with Hoover’s support of the Volstead Act, a reinforcement of Prohibition, helped Hoover greatly in the election.

Hoover won by a landside:


Hoover – Curtis

Pop. Vote: 21,427,123
Electoral vote: 444

Smith – Robinson

Pop. Vote: 15,015,464
Electoral vote: 87

Hoover lost the election of 1932 because the majority of the public blamed him for the Great Depression.

Domestic Policy & Affairs

Hoover’s presidency was largely defined by the Great Depression which officially started with the stock market crash known as “Black Tuesday” merely months after Hoover’s election.

Federal Home Loan Bank Act & the RFC
To combat the Great Depression, Hoover passed a number of policies. One was the Federal Home Loan Bank Act which the Federal Home Loan Bank Board which supervised savings and loan institutions. Another, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), was an independent government agency that loaned $2 million to state and local government as well and some businesses. The RFC distributed almost $9½ billion 1932 and 1941.

The Bonus Army
In 1924 the Patman Bill, fronted by Walter Waters was passed in congress to compensate WWI veterans for their wartime services. On June 17th 1932, the bill was voted down and a crowd of 2,000 veterans (know as the Bonus Army, name so because they wanted their wartime bonus paid) would not leave the capital in protest. Fearing the group might become angry, Hoover ordered 1,000 soldiers led by generals MacArthur and Eisenhower to disband the protestors. The use of tear gas killed an 11-month old baby and an 8-year-old boy was partially blinded by the gas. This in particular hurt Hoover’s public image.

The Bolder Bam
About one year into Hoover’s term, the construction of the $700 million project was approved by congress. Hoover had been pushing for the construction of the dam since his service as secretary of commerce. The Bolder Dam is now known as the Hoover Dam.

some of the "Bonus Army's" shacks after the encounter with the military

Foreign Policy & Affairs

Latin America
After Hoover’s election he took a “goodwill” tour to Latin America. Hoover chose to follow suit with the policies of Coolidge in the Latin American regions after re-evaluating economic relations. This had an overall good effect, but that good effect was decreased due to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930 that put up resistance to foreign trade.

Europe
Europe was unable to pay back war debts to America as they we’re suffering from the worldwide depression. They blamed the worldwide depression on America’s tariff against foreign goods.

International Disarmament
Hoover consistently pushed for international disarmament. He was a part of multiple conferences like The London Naval Disarmament Conference of 1930 and Geneva World Disarmament Conference of 1932 that helped keep the balance of arms in the Pacific under control. These both helped postpone the arms race but neither was able to stop Japan's invasion of Manchuria in September 1931.

Hoover's Legacy

Hoover was known and is remembered as the humanitarian president first of all, always having a deep moral obligation to help those in need. At the end of WWI the New York Times named Hoover one of the "Ten Most Important Living Americans” for his efforts in Europe, Belgium, China, and many other places. Hoover was president during the one of the most trying times in American history and fought to make it better for the common man. The Bolder Dam was re-named the Hoover Dam on his honor years after he died by Harry S. Truman.

the Hoover Dam