By Thomas F. Schwartz Arthur Beeby-Thompson, recognized only by a handful of people with knowledge of the oil industry, forged an early and lasting friendship with Herbert Hoover. Beeby-Thompson’s 1961 autobiography has a forward written by Hoover. Their friendship began in 1908 and continued until Hoover’s death in 1964. It was based both upon their … Continue reading Oil and Water Part I
By Thomas F. Schwartz COVID-19 symptoms—fever, chills, cough, night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss---bear a striking similarity to a disease that was prominent during the presidency of Herbert Hoover. Tuberculosis [TB] has afflicted people from earliest recorded history. It usually affects the lungs and was often referred to as consumption because of weight loss and … Continue reading A Diva’s Death: Tuberculosis during the Presidency of Herbert Hoover
By Thomas F. Schwartz, Director, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. It was given new meaning when we received word to close the museum and library to the public until public health officials determined that the coronavirus spread through public transmission had abated. This decision was not … Continue reading Persistence Prevails When All Else Fails
By Thomas F. Schwartz Having just watched the academy awards, it is appropriate to ask if Herbert Hoover was a film buff. The simple answer is “yes!” As Secretary of Commerce, Hoover helped promote the emerging U.S. film industry at home and abroad. He was good friends with studio mogul Louis B. Mayer of MGM … Continue reading Watching Movies on a Battleship
By Thomas F. Schwartz Bruce Barton is not a familiar name to most people but they certainly know some of his iconic brands such as Betty Crocker. Barton was a principal in the advertising agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. The writer/director Matthew Weiner used the advertising industry as a model for his 2007 show … Continue reading Mad Men and Miss Manners: A Hoover Christmas Carol
By Thomas F. Schwartz A number of remembrances took place on November 9, 2019, marking the 30th anniversary of the opening of travel between East and West Berlin and an end to the border wall of separation. The end of a divided Berlin was the culmination of public protests in East Germany and a wave … Continue reading Words and a Wall: Remembering the fall of the Berlin Wall
Shortly after Herbert Hoover won the Presidency in November 1928, he began planning a trip to Latin America. This would make him the first President-elect to make such a journey. His experience as Secretary of Commerce convinced him of the economic importance of Latin America and of the need to walk back some North American … Continue reading The Purpose of Hoover’s 1928 Goodwill Tour
By Thomas F. Schwartz A recent opinion piece advocated for the return of meatless Monday as a way of addressing climate change. Certain animals release methane, a greenhouse-gas that adversely impacts the ozone. Foregoing meat on Monday, according to the editorial board, would help the environment. This view is hardly new. A website was launched … Continue reading The Original Meatless Monday
By Thomas F. Schwartz, PhD Herbert Hoover during his years at Stanford. A story often cited claims that when Hoover was a student at Stanford, he invited the famed Polish pianist, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, to perform at Stanford for a promised fee of $2,000. Much to Hoover’s chagrin, the ticket sales fell short of the … Continue reading Hoover and Paderewski
By Thomas F. Schwartz December 7, 1941 was, as President Franklin Roosevelt aptly stated: “a date which will live in infamy.” The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese plunged America into World War II. At the time of the attack, Lou Henry Hoover’s sister, Jean Henry Large and niece, Janet Large, resided on … Continue reading Writing Christmas Cards Under Fire
