by Spencer Howard When Herbert Hoover was elected President in 1928, long-distance air travel was still in the future; Franklin Roosevelt would become the first President to travel internationally by air. Hoover left the continental U.S. twice: first, as President-Elect in 1928, he traveled to Latin America on a "Good Will Tour," then in 1931 … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s Good Will Tour – by Battleship
By Thomas F. Schwartz A number of remembrances took place on November 9, 2019, marking the 30th anniversary of the opening of travel between East and West Berlin and an end to the border wall of separation. The end of a divided Berlin was the culmination of public protests in East Germany and a wave … Continue reading Words and a Wall: Remembering the fall of the Berlin Wall
Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover were experienced travelers when they embarked on their trip to Latin America in late November 1928. This was not the case for many of their fellow travelers. Lou Hoover felt that it was incumbent on her to bring everyone up to speed by distributing a three-page typed memorandum on the … Continue reading The Second Purpose of Hoover’s 1928 Goodwill Tour
Shortly after Herbert Hoover won the Presidency in November 1928, he began planning a trip to Latin America. This would make him the first President-elect to make such a journey. His experience as Secretary of Commerce convinced him of the economic importance of Latin America and of the need to walk back some North American … Continue reading The Purpose of Hoover’s 1928 Goodwill Tour
by Spencer Howard Some recent news articles have noted previous Presidents who have faced impeachment, including Herbert Hoover. In a narrow sense this is true – on Dec. 13, 1932 and Jan. 17, 1933, Rep. Louis Thomas McFadden, a Republican from Pennsylvania, offered resolutions on the floor of the House calling for the impeachment of … Continue reading The Impeachment of Herbert Hoover
President Lyndon Johnson in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda to pay respects to former President Herbert Hoover, as the remains of the former president lay in state. 10/23/1964 Following are excerpts from a transcript in box 182 of Hoover’s Post-Presidential Subject Files, ‘Hoover funeral,’ written and delivered by Joe Garagiola, NBC Broadcaster. Although the custom is … Continue reading Joe Garagiola, NBC Broadcast on the Death of Herbert Hoover, October 22, 1964
Former president Hoover with Stanford University president, Ray Lyman Wilbur, enjoying the Yale vs. Penn football game at Franklin Field. 10/13/1935 Sometimes history—and this blog post—take shape through coincidence. For instance, I was in Baltimore last week for a family event. I took advantage of the situation to do some literary sight-seeing, visiting the homes … Continue reading H. L. Mencken: Sage of Baltimore
By Thomas F. Schwartz A recent opinion piece advocated for the return of meatless Monday as a way of addressing climate change. Certain animals release methane, a greenhouse-gas that adversely impacts the ozone. Foregoing meat on Monday, according to the editorial board, would help the environment. This view is hardly new. A website was launched … Continue reading The Original Meatless Monday
This past September marked the eightieth anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War, an event that shocked many who felt that civilization had moved beyond such barbarous means. Herbert Hoover offered this trenchant commentary to a San Francisco audience, September 1st 1939: This is one of the saddest weeks that has come to … Continue reading Herbert Hoover on the Outbreak of the European War
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
