In March, 1931, Herbert Hoover decided to take a Caribbean cruise. He had taken only one brief vacation during the first two years of his Presidency, and badly needed some rest. The battleship Arizona had just finished a two year overhaul and was scheduled to make a "shakedown" cruise off the east coast, so the … Continue reading Caribbean Vacation
President Hoover at his desk. by Spencer Howard On January 12, 1932, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. submitted his resignation to President Herbert Hoover, citing ill health and age. At 91 years old, he noted, "the time has come, and I bow to the inevitable." In his 30 years on the Supreme Court, … Continue reading A Non-Political – and Entirely Political – Supreme Court Appointment
by Spencer Howard Herbert Hoover inauguration - Coolidge and Hoover drive from White House to Capitol 03/04/1929. HHPLM 31-1929-49 Seventy-three years ago this week Herbert Hoover was inaugurated as the 31st President of the United States on March 4, 1929. The basic facts are well known: it was a rainy day; the major topics of … Continue reading Inauguration Report
by Spencer Howard As President, Herbert Hoover had the opportunity to nominate three justices to the Supreme Court. In early 1930, Chief Justice William Howard Taft resigned due to ill health, and to replace him Hoover nominated Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes was clearly well qualified for the job, having had a distinguished legal career as … Continue reading Supreme Court Nominations
by Spencer Howard The bicentennial of Washington's birth in February, 1932, was an occasion celebrated throughout the United States, and around the world. The official George Washington Bicentennial Commission was established by President Coolidge in December 1924, and over the succeeding seven years it organized numerous projects, programs and celebrations to commemorate the historic date, … Continue reading Washington’s Birthday Bicentennial: Planting a Tree
A love of books is rarely innate and usually the result of careful cultivation. Herbert Hoover described a moment when he was a teenager in Salem, Oregon when Miss Jennie Gray took an interest in his education. "She took me to the small library in the town," according to Hoover's published memoirs, "and borrowed for … Continue reading Hoover and Books
This is the headline of a story in the November 9, 1932 issue of the New York Times. Hoover was on a train traveling to Palo Alto where he was going to vote in the 1932 election when officials said they believed an attempt was made to wreck Hoover's special train. The article read as follows: … Continue reading Supposed Plot Against Hoover Train is Foiled
Like many of their generation, Herbert and Lou Hoover were fascinated by motion pictures. They lived at a time when film evolved from its infancy into a mature industry. Silent pictures were often enhanced by a piano, theatre organ accompaniment or even orchestral scores for some of the epic films. Movie houses in larger cities … Continue reading Movie Night at the White House
One of the most requested Hoover photographs shows President Hoover with King Tut, the family German shepherd. The Hoovers were great dog lovers and as parents of two boys, frequently received pleas for yet one more pet. There is no complete listing of all the family pets over the years, but many creatures seemed to … Continue reading The Death of a King
