Like many men [thousands? millions?], I approach Valentine’s Day with a measure of trepidation. The weight of choosing the appropriate card grows heavier each year. Perhaps I’m losing strength to carry on the tradition. Despite the thousands [millions?] of commercially available options, I struggle to find the card with the words that have the right … Continue reading Valentine’s Day Cards
History serves as a reminder that all political times are tempestuous. Ardent advocates champion their side of the cause no matter the year or the context. The President’s recent State of the Union message ballyhooed the accomplishments of the first year of his administration—emphasizing successes and downplaying disappointments. This is par for the course, drawn … Continue reading Assessing Presidents at One Year
by Spencer Howard Lou Henry Hoover was born in Waterloo, Iowa in 1874 and lived there for much of her childhood. Over the years there has been considerable interest in marking or memorializing her childhood home, which has been complicated by the fact that the Henry family lived in a number of different homes. In … Continue reading The Nomadic Henry Family
Herbert Hoover's lifelong passion for fishing is well-known. For no other President has a biographer written a 350-page book subtitled, The Fishing President, as Hal Elliott Wert has done for Hoover. In this book, Wert describes Hoover's fishing exploits and expeditions from age 8 to age 88. Young Bert Hoover pulled a ‘record’ twelve inch … Continue reading Herbert Hoover and Fishing
By Thomas F. Schwartz In an address delivered to a joint Republican organizations in Spokane, Washington, November 5, 1938, former president Herbert Hoover rebutted President Franklin Roosevelt’s claim of “his success in creating economic stability, prosperity and security for the average man.” Hoover pointed out that President Roosevelt failed to mention, “the 11,000,000 unemployed or … Continue reading Hoover’s November 5, 1938 Address Inspires A Political Cartoon
Lou Henry Hoover died on Friday January 7, 1944 at the Waldorf-Astoria suite that she shared with her husband Herbert Hoover. The following Monday more than 1500 mourners attended her memorial service at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. There was no eulogy. After the service, the Hoover family took the mortal remains of Lou Henry Hoover … Continue reading On the Passing of Lou Henry Hoover
By Thomas F. Schwartz Presidents receive endless unsolicited advice on what to do and how to do it. Modern Presidents, even with the most vigilant staff, cannot prevent unsolicited advice from reaching their boss, especially in open public settings. Hoover tended to be impatient with advice given by adults, especially from the general public. But … Continue reading Hoover and His Young Advisors
By Thomas F. Schwartz A previous blog described Christmas gifts Lou Henry Hoover gave to people in 1930. Made from century-old pine beams original to the White House and removed in the 1927 renovation by Calvin Coolidge, some of the oral histories conducted with associates of Herbert Hoover conflate these gifts with the 1929 fire … Continue reading The Oval Office Roasting on a 1929 Christmas Fire
Reposted from the Declarations Blog On November 18, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum kicked off the holiday season with the "Tales of the Sea Christmas" exhibit. The exhibit will run through January 7, 2018. Since 1990, the Hoover Museum has presented a decorated tree exhibit every year, beginning with "Christmas Around the World," … Continue reading Tales of the Sea Christmas Exhibit
by Matthew Schaefer While every region has its natural collegiate rivals in football—think Auburn-Alabama, Michigan-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma—only one rivalry comes complete with capital letters. The Stanford-Cal Big Game [always capitalized by the cognoscenti] dates back to 1892, when Walter Camp coached the Stanford team to a 14-10 victory over their rivals across the bay. As … Continue reading Stanford-Cal Big Game
