by Spencer Howard In 1928, Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover took action for the civil rights of African Americans that was both momentous and ultimately trivial – he desegregated the Commerce Department. As his assistant, George Akerson pointed out, the official policy of the Coolidge Administration was that segregation was prohibited in Federal employment. In … Continue reading Desegregating the Commerce Department
by Spencer Howard Lou Henry Hoover was born in Waterloo, Iowa in 1874 and lived there for much of her childhood. Over the years there has been considerable interest in marking or memorializing her childhood home, which has been complicated by the fact that the Henry family lived in a number of different homes. In … Continue reading The Nomadic Henry Family
by Spencer Howard In late June, 1932, a few hundred unemployed World War I veterans boarded freight trains in Portland, Oregon. Out of work and overwhelmed by the Depression, they had decided to go to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress for early payment of a soldier's bonus that was scheduled to be paid in 1945. … Continue reading Bonus Army
by Spencer Howard After the demise of the first SS President Hoover, the precarious financial situation of the Dollar Line led the U.S. Maritime Commission to take control of the line in late 1938, and the name of the company was changed to American President Lines Ltd. Instead of the $ sign that had graced … Continue reading SS President Hoover (2)
by Spencer Howard One of the most interesting documents at the Hoover Library is a handwritten, five-page personal letter from King Albert of Belgium to Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. A transcript of the entire letter can be found at https://hoover.archives.gov/KingAlbertltr.pdf. King Albert wrote to ask Hoover to intervene with the U.S. Shipping Board on behalf … Continue reading A Letter from a King
by Spencer Howard The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum presented a program by art conservator Barry Bauman entitled "The Demise of Mary Lincoln: An Artistic Conspiracy." In short, Mr. Bauman discovered that a painting that had hung for years in the Illinois governor's mansion, which was believed to be an original portrait of Mrs. … Continue reading Lincoln Portrait Fraud
by Spencer Howard As noted previously in this blog, the Hoovers continued the tradition, which began during the Theodore Roosevelt administration, of sponsoring concerts or "musicales" at the White House, usually following important dinners or receptions. The Hoovers' tastes, and therefore the programming, tended toward classical music. Unfortunately, as far as we know, none of … Continue reading White House Musicales: The Rest of the Story
by Spencer Howard When Lou Henry Hoover became First Lady in 1929, one of her main responsibilities was to coordinate the social functions at the White House, and the first major event on her agenda was to invite the wives of the members of Congress to the White House for tea. The Congressional teas served … Continue reading Tempest in a Teapot – Lou Henry Hoover and the DePriest Tea Incident
From the left: Anton Fokker, Herbert Hoover, F. Trubee Davison and Edward Warner. by Spencer Howard The inauguration of the first air passenger service between Washington DC and Philadelphia on July 16, 1926 was a major milestone in the development of the nation's capital, and of unusual personal significance for Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. … Continue reading Hoover Field – Washington DC’s First Airport
by Spencer Howard In January 1929, President-Elect Herbert Hoover returned from his seven-week trip to Latin America and began preparing for the Inauguration. (At that time Inauguration Day was March 4, so he had an extra six weeks to work with.) After a couple of weeks in Washington DC during which he chose most of … Continue reading Herbert Hoover, President-Elect – a Florida vacation
