Here at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, we often receive questions about other famous people named Hoover, and which Hoover did what. There are a surprising number of Hoovers and Hoover families in the United States, many of whom are entirely unrelated to each other. It is not unusual for different Hoovers to be confused … Continue reading Do you know your Hoovers? An historical field guide
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
When Herbert Hoover became President in 1929, one of his early initiatives was to call for a national conference on child health. Hoping to build on the work of the non-profit American Child Health Association, an organization he had founded in 1923, President Hoover announced that the purpose of his proposed conference was “to study … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s vision for healthy children – Part 2: The Children’s Charter
This image is from the Commerce Years gallery at the Hoover Presidential Museum. Of the many charitable organizations that Herbert Hoover led, one of the most important was the American Child Health Association. In its almost 13 years of existence, from its founding by Herbert Hoover in 1923 to its liquidation in 1935, the ACHA … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s vision for healthy children – Part 1: The Child’s Bill of Rights
Herbert Hoover won the 1928 election in a landslide over Democrat Al Smith of New York. Four years later Hoover lost the 1932 election in a landslide to New York Democrat Franklin Roosevelt. The intervening four years marked the onset of the Great Depression. Ever pragmatic, Hoover knew that the American people would place their … Continue reading Herbert Hoover on Public Acceptance of the President
by Lynn Smith, Archivist The election of Herbert Hoover to the presidency on November 6, 1928, put West Branch, Iowa on the map. The small town was proud of their native son. Soon after the election, town leaders formed the Hoover Birthplace Committee who started planning celebrations and arranged a train trip to Washington, D.C. … Continue reading Inaugural Train Trip from West Branch to Washington, DC
Seeing the February 4th friendship postings on our Facebook page last week, I was reminded of a durable friendship forged between the Hoovers and the Milbanks. The connections between Jeremiah/Katherine [Kitty] Milbank and Herbert/Lou Hoover are extensive--both broad and deep. The families often socialized together. They dined, shared holidays [especially Christmas after Lou passed away], … Continue reading Hoovers and Milbanks: An Enduring Friendship
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 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
