In honor of Presidents Day, I resume my series on Hoover’s interactions with American Presidents. In our last episode, I left Hoover at Warren Harding’s death bed in August 1923. After Harding died, Vice President Calvin Coolidge rose to the office of President. Coolidge, described as a ‘Puritan in Babylon’ by one writer, could not … Continue reading Hoover and 20th Century Presidents: Calvin Coolidge
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 As a previous blog post indicated, Americans who signed the pledge to conserve food were encouraged to forgo meat at one meal each day and on Tuesday, the entire day. On Monday, supper was the designated meal to be meatless. In Hoover’s day, breakfast was the first meal of the day … Continue reading A Recipe Idea for Meatless Monday
I cannot imagine Herbert Hoover, at any age or in any context, attending Mardi Gras or any such foofaraw. The man, the mien, and Mardi Gras beads just do not mix. My mind is not that plastic. Evidently Florida Senator Duncan Upshaw Fletcher had a broader perspective. He wrote to Hoover on December 15, 1928, … Continue reading Herbert Hoover and the Gasparilla Pirate Festival
The United States Navy has long stood on traditions. These traditions reinforce the discipline needed to keep the crew’s morale high and their mission focused. One such tradition is the King Neptune ceremony when crossing the equator aboard ship. An experienced sailor dresses as Neptune; another cross-dresses as Queen Amphitrite, a third appears as Davy … Continue reading King Neptune Ceremony
As the Hoovers toured Latin America, they were feted with lavish dinners and receptions by heads of state and other dignitaries. At these events the Hoovers were usually given a memento to mark the occasion. By the time the Hoovers reached Chile, these mementos had grown so numerous that it was decided to ship them … Continue reading Gifts to the Hoovers
Last year at about this time Thomas Schwartz wrote a blog here about Hoover’s ‘Invisible Guest’ dinners, innovative efforts to raise private funds to pay for the feeding of Europeans after World War I. Congress had originally appropriated $100 million to this humanitarian effort, but was reluctant to expend funds beyond this commitment. Hoover recognized … Continue reading The Invisible Guest-Part II
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
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 a much smaller … Continue reading The Good Will Tour – a Journalist’s Adventure
Shortly before his departure on the Latin American goodwill trip, Herbert Hoover wrote to Elihu Root: ‘As usual, it is very difficult to deal with the press in these matters. The youngsters who are detailed to inform the American public seem to think they have a divine right to invent something sensational each day and … Continue reading Hoover’s Latin American Trip and the Press
