History is strange. It has a perverse way of folding back on itself like a Mobius strip. I once listened to an entire lecture by a seasoned historian who, after years of research and thought, ascribed the cause of the 1967 Detroit riots to chance and circumstance. Really? Can we resolve complex events to such … Continue reading Chance and Circumstance: Pearl Harbor in History
By Thomas F. Schwartz Marion Redman is not a familiar name in the Hoover presidency, although she had a front row seat from December 1930 until the end of May 1931 as the governess for baby Joan, Peggy Ann, and Herbert “Pete” Hoover III. Tuberculosis was widespread during the Hoover presidency, affecting his eldest son, … Continue reading A 1930 White House Christmas Recollection
While drawing analogies too closely from history is perilous, I am sometimes struck by parallels between events of today and events of the past. Our world today is not the only world facing disruptive technologies which test the minds of men and the flexibility of institutions. Men and institutions today are wrestling with challenges presented … Continue reading When New Communications Media Reach Maturity
By Thomas F. Schwartz A classic Broadway musical is Meredith Willson’s Music Man. Willson, a native of Mason City, Iowa, places the musical in River City, Iowa, a veiled reference to Mason City lying along the Winnebago River. Con man Professor Harold Hill convinces the townspeople that a boy’s band is a wholesome alternative to … Continue reading Trouble in River City: Hoover describes Aunt Hannah’s Prophesy
On November 7th, 1937, Hoover addressed students and faculty at Colby College, invoking Elijah Parrish Lovejoy, American martyr who died defending freedom of the press. Hoover’s audience knew the Lovejoy story well. I did not. Lovejoy was a Colby College graduate and class poet who moved to St. Louis in 1827. He became an abolitionist … Continue reading Who was Elijah Parrish Lovejoy? Why Should Hoover Invoke Him? Why Should We Care?
Traveling to Germany at President Eisenhower’s behest, Hoover gave three speeches in three days to German audiences. Hoover was eighty years old at the time, yet he did not hesitate. When his President called, Hoover answered. He wrote three major policy speeches, edited them en route to Germany, and delivered them to three distinct audiences. … Continue reading Herbert Hoover: Elder Statesman on the Move, November 1954
In presenting Bud Wilkinson the 1949 Football Coach of the Year award in January 1950, Hoover said: ‘Sports have become an integral part of our American civilization. And we may be grateful that so far the advance in social concepts has left them out of governmental regimentation. Sports are still a free enterprise, and because … Continue reading College Football, and Mythicism, 1890s, 1950, 2020
By Thomas F. Schwartz In his memoir, The Making of a Public Relations Man, John W. Hill, founder of the public relations firm Hill and Knowlton, Inc., devoted a chapter, “Hoover and Kennedy—A Study in Contrasts.” Hill was a friend of Herbert Hoover so much of his assessment was not based upon hearsay from others … Continue reading John W. Hill on Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy
by Craig Wright Construction began on a permanent home for the Supreme Court, and Herbert Hoover’s three appointees to the Court facilitated the transition of the Court from judicial activism to judicial restraint in economic issues. The Hughes Era Begins In early 1930, Chief Justice William Howard Taft resigned because of ill health. Herbert Hoover … Continue reading HERBERT HOOVER AND THE SUPREME COURT
While working on another social media project I chanced upon an article Herbert Hoover wrote for This Week magazine in the midst of the grim years of World War II. Hoover had been devoting much time and energy to co-authoring a book Towards a Lasting Peace with Hugh Gibson. While his pen was hot, he … Continue reading Enchanted World
