By Thomas F. Schwartz Herbert Hoover relied on accurate reporting from a variety of sources on the impact famine and food shortages were affecting area in Russia from 1921-23. As Secretary of Commerce for President Harding, Hoover could not travel abroad to see for himself the tragedy already gripping many parts of the Russian empire. … Continue reading James Putnam Goodrich: Witness to the Famine
By Thomas F. Schwartz Wars are always highlighted in the history books for later generations to read about. The humanitarian efforts that follow in the aftermath of wars rarely receive as much attention except by the people who are the immediate beneficiaries. After World War I, significant problems of food shortages faced many countries. Herbert … Continue reading “To All Honest People”: Hoover’s Response to Famine
Guest author: Bob Erickson Sheri and I were married on a beautiful Saturday evening on the 24th August of 1968 in the First Lutheran Church in Cresco, Iowa just a few blocks from where we had graduated high school just two years earlier. After attending church on the morning of Sunday the 25th, we left … Continue reading Meeting a President
By Thomas F. Schwartz Individuals in the news often are asked about their views on a wide range of topics. Lou Henry Hoover was no exception. As someone who was already well-known for her translation of De Re Metallica, fund raising efforts for food relief, leadership in the Girl Scouts, and involvement with many other … Continue reading Lou Henry Hoover Responds to Questionnaire on Engineering for Women
By Thomas F. Schwartz Those who study Herbert Hoover realize that the past few and the next several years mark the one hundredth anniversary of the American Relief Administration’s efforts to mitigate suffering in post-World War One Europe. It also highlights why Hoover is often referred to as “The Great Humanitarian.” One of Hoover’s more … Continue reading Humanitarian Relief: “What Relief Consists Of”
By Thomas F. Schwartz Born in Iowa, both Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover considered themselves Californians for most of their lives. Not only was their home designed by Lou built in Palo Alto near the campus of Stanford University, Herbert Hoover also operated several farms throughout the state. Initially, Hoover was in partnership with several … Continue reading The “Lady from California”: Hoover Hoover’s Work at Children’s Hospital
By Thomas F. Schwartz, Director A genre of writing concerns the memoirs of domestic White House staff. Personal secretaries, head butlers, maids, and secret service who live round the clock with the President, First Lady, and First Family see and hear things that are typically not reported at the time but become known through “tell … Continue reading White House Staff Remember Lou
By Thomas F. Schwartz The first volume of Herbert Hoover’s Memoirs appeared in 1951. Only ten pages comprise his time in Iowa. Theodore Hoover, Herbert’s older brother, wrote a 1939 autobiography, Memoranda: Being a Statement by an Engineer, that was never published. It exists in typescript at the Hoover Institution with a copy at the … Continue reading Theodore and Herbert Hoover’s Childhood Recollections: A Comparative Study
By Thomas F. Schwartz Hoover’s selection of Harry F. Guggenheim as Ambassador to Cuba came after Guggenheim rejected an earlier offer to serve as assistant secretary of commerce for aeronautics. Hoover learned Guggenheim was interested in being Ambassador to Mexico. Dwight Morrow already was capably serving in that post so Hoover nominated Guggenheim to serve … Continue reading Ambassador Harry F. Guggenheim
By Thomas F. Schwartz World War I provided much of the impetus for the development of aviation as a weapon of war. In the aftermath of the war, aviation continued to be developed by governments largely for military purposes. In the United States, it became the reserve for daredevils and interested amateurs. Planes were noisy, … Continue reading The New Frontier of Aviation: the Guggenheim/Hoover Connection
