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
By Thomas F. Schwartz Many families in the United States are fortunate enough to celebrate the holidays with a plethora of food. At a time of gift-giving and worrying about expanding waistlines, we often forget about the needy and hungry that are right next door. As hard as it is for adults to remember the … Continue reading From Plenty to Thrift
by Matthew Schaefer In addition to the White House tradition of spending Thanksgiving as a quiet day with the family, Herbert Hoover tended to the ceremonial aspect of his official duty by issuing a Thanksgiving Proclamation. This tradition dates back to George Washington, and most Presidents hew to a predictable script—invoking forefathers, thanking God, and … Continue reading Thanksgiving Proclamations and President Hoover
by Matthew Schaefer Somehow, I’ve written more than once about Herbert Hoover and football without consulting the two folders on ‘Football, 1929-1932’ in Hoover’s Presidential Subject Files. This is written in order to rectify that oversight. These files contain a letter dated December 5, 1931 from Mrs. Helen MacLean to President Hoover. Mrs. MacLean explained … Continue reading President Hoover and Football
This piece was written by George Schaefer, for use at a corporate retreat with the theme ‘Building a Legacy of Success.’ He used this story to convey what it takes to create and sustain a legacy. It is used here with his permission. This is a story about a man named Bert. It is a … Continue reading What Will Be Your Legacy?
by Matthew Schaefer Sometimes history loops back on itself and offers timely advice for the present and for the future. In a reply to a press inquiry, October 5, 1953, former President Herbert Hoover offered advice that needs no further comment: ‘The weakest link in the whole chain of protections to liberty is the vote. … Continue reading Herbert Hoover on the Importance of Voting
By Thomas F. Schwartz Royal visits to the United States are always complicated affairs, especially when things do not go according to plans. Such was the case in 1919 when the King and Queen of Belgium were invited by Congressional invitation, the first extended since Lafayette came in 1825 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of … Continue reading Badges, “Buttons”, and Royal Visits
by Matthew Schaefer This has to do with the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Four score and seven years ago [give or take a year], the America nation was rocked by a series of crashes in the stock market. Black Thursday, October 24, 1929, saw the New York Stock Exchange lose 11% of its … Continue reading Four Score and Seven Years Ago
