by Spencer Howard In 1928, campaign songs were not like the borrowed pop tunes or professional advertising jingles of today. In fact, campaign advertising in all its forms was very different than today. There was little centralized control, no focus group tested messaging, and certainly no requirement for candidates to “approve” anything. Most campaign songs … Continue reading Hoover Campaign Songs, 1928
by Spencer Howard Eighty-five years after its completion, Hoover Dam is still considered an engineering marvel. Like many public works it is named in honor of a public official -- the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover -- but Hoover’s connection to the dam was much more than the name. Hoover played a … Continue reading Herbert Hoover and Hoover Dam
Herbert Hoover looking over the preparations in Stanford Stadium where he would later deliver his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination, Aug. 11, 1928. The crowd of over 70,000 at Stanford Stadium for Hoover's acceptance speech. Aug. 11, 1928 by Spencer Howard On August 11, 1928, Herbert Hoover formally launched his campaign for the Presidency. … Continue reading Kicking off a Presidential Campaign — Herbert Hoover’s 1928 Acceptance Speech
By Spencer Howard by Spencer Howard On June 30, 1932, President Herbert Hoover signed into law the "Economy Act of 1932" to reduce government salaries, which was intended to help balance the Federal budget that was badly in the red due to the Great Depression. At the time almost all economists and politicians believed that … Continue reading The Economy Act of 1932
by Spencer Howard During his lifetime, Herbert Hoover earned a Bachelors degree in geology from Stanford University and was awarded more than 80 honorary degrees from Universities around the world for his many humanitarian efforts. One distinction he never earned, however, was a high school diploma. As a child, Hoover attended the local school in … Continue reading Graduations that Never Happened — Herbert Hoover
by Spencer Howard Rodney Dutcher was one of 27 journalists who accompanied President-Elect Herbert Hoover on his "Good Will Tour" of Latin America in November and December 1928. Dutcher was a bureau manager and political columnist for the Newspaper Enterprise Association, one of the big news syndicates that served 850 U.S. newspapers. As published for … Continue reading The Good Will Tour – a Journalist’s Adventure
by Spencer Howard A number of visitors to the temporary exhibit "Viva Hoover! The 1928 Goodwill Tour" have asked about one of the large photographs of the battleship USS Maryland -- what is that clock-like thing on the mast? It's a device called a "range clock," and you will see it in pictures of battleships … Continue reading “Viva Hoover” exhibit – but what’s that thing that looks like a clock?
by Spencer Howard When Herbert Hoover was elected President in 1928, long-distance air travel was still in the future; Franklin Roosevelt would become the first President to travel internationally by air. Hoover left the continental U.S. twice: first, as President-Elect in 1928, he traveled to Latin America on a "Good Will Tour," then in 1931 … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s Good Will Tour – by Battleship
by Spencer Howard Some recent news articles have noted previous Presidents who have faced impeachment, including Herbert Hoover. In a narrow sense this is true – on Dec. 13, 1932 and Jan. 17, 1933, Rep. Louis Thomas McFadden, a Republican from Pennsylvania, offered resolutions on the floor of the House calling for the impeachment of … Continue reading The Impeachment of Herbert Hoover
by Spencer Howard In August, 1928, Lou Henry Hoover visited her hometown of Waterloo as part of a trip through Iowa to kick off Herbert Hoover's Presidential campaign. While Lou expected to be the center of attention, she did not anticipate the persistence of a local photographer who saw a business opportunity. As the appointed … Continue reading Waterloo Movie Makers, or, The Gift that Would Not Stop Giving
