by Spencer Howard In 1930, First Lady Lou Henry Hoover asked one of her secretaries, Dare Stark McMullin, to compile some information about the historic furnishings in the White House. What began as a simple list grew into a massive project to document the history of the White House itself and the art and furnishings … Continue reading Lou Henry Hoover’s White House History
by Matthew Schaefer While Lou Henry Hoover did not campaign for suffrage, she did actively support the League of Women Voters once women gained suffrage. She spoke at Bryn Mawr College, one of the ‘Seven Sisters’ women’s colleges, in April 1920, shortly before suffrage passed. Lou was invited by the League of Women Voter's president, … Continue reading Lou Hoover Adding Bricks to the Foundation of League of Women Voters
Extroverted by nature, Lou Hoover likely enjoyed the Latin American trip more than her husband Herbert. As the tour entered it final port of call in South America, Rio de Janeiro, Lou made time to visit with the Federacao des Bandeirantes, a Brazilian Girl Scout troop. Given Hoover’s deep and long involvement with the Girl … Continue reading Lou Hoover and the Bandeirantes of Brazil
Lou Hoover was in the midst of her second tenure as President of the Girl Scouts in October 1936 when she received a letter from Jean Magee. Magee was a high school junior tasked with writing a term paper on ‘The American Girl.’ She judged Lou Hoover to be the best authority on the subject. … Continue reading Lou Hoover and ‘The American Girl’
London, 1914, American Women's Committee. Lou Hoover is sitting at the table, the fourth one from the right. Last month we made a presentation to our local Questers group. They are big fans of Lou Hoover, so they asked us to speak on Lou and relief work during World War I. I felt that we’d … Continue reading Lou Hoover and the Early Days of World War I
Lou Henry Hoover sitting at the "Monroe Desk" which was reproduced for the White House collection. ca 1931 By Thomas F. Schwartz Another of Lou Henry Hoover’s undeveloped musings addresses the problem of people who only mine the past for practical applications in the present. A deeper understanding of the context that gave rise to … Continue reading Tangible and Intangible Uses of Historical Knowledge
Lou Henry Hoover, ca. 1932 By Thomas F. Schwartz Lou Henry Hoover liked to capture kernels of ideas on papers for further elaboration at some later date. Often, the ideas never were revisited and remain unpolished thoughts containing interesting potential. One of these describes the problem of human nature. Lou writes: “It is a … Continue reading On Human Nature: Lou Henry Hoover’s Musings
By Thomas F. Schwartz Collaborating Collectors, the new temporary exhibit at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, explores the collecting habits of Herbert and Lou Hoover. But it ultimately poses the question “What do you collect?” When someone posed that question to me, I gave an unhelpful answer: “dust.” But a more serious and … Continue reading What Do You Collect?
London, ca. 1904 Anne Martin, Jack Means, Newton Knox and Herbert Hoover. While working on another social media project, I came across Anne Martin. She had written a letter on National Woman’s Party letterhead to Lou Hoover on July 10, 1917. This lengthy missive described in detail an incident at the White House where suffragists … Continue reading Who is Anne Martin? Why Should Anyone Care?
First Lady Lou Henry hoover Sometimes blog posts miraculously present themselves, like spring flowers after a long winter. The astute blogger just provides the background context, the stands aside to let the reader see the beauty for themselves. This is a nearly verbatim re-presentation of an undated essay written by Lou Hoover. SPRING’S COMING Flower … Continue reading Lou Hoover ‘Spring’s Coming’
