by Matthew Schaefer For some the end of the year is a time of reflection—a time to assess what has happened, what may yet come, and where they fit in the grand scheme of things. Herbert Hoover gave voice to such reflections in the late Decembers between 1913 and 1918. Hoover later titled these notes … Continue reading It’s the End of the Year as we Know it…
By Matthew Schaefer Christmas is a holiday laden with memories--family, fun, food, and faith form the warp and woof of these memories. This held true for Herbert Hoover. Late in his life, Hoover began to collect his Christmas reminiscences to share with family and friends. One set of such memories is found in Hoover’s Post-Presidential … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s Many Facets of Christmas
By Thomas F. Schwartz December 1931 was like any other except that more Americans were feeling the effects of what would later be known as the Great Depression. Herbert and Lou Hoover had a long history of assisting those in need. The First Lady decided that the annual Christmas party would have a different emphasis. … Continue reading Santa Claus Lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
By Thomas F. Schwartz December 7, 1941 was, as President Franklin Roosevelt aptly stated: “a date which will live in infamy.” The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese plunged America into World War II. At the time of the attack, Lou Henry Hoover’s sister, Jean Henry Large and niece, Janet Large, resided on … Continue reading Writing Christmas Cards Under Fire
Thanksgiving as a national holiday dates back to George Washington’s proclamation in 1789, which named the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. The tradition wavered in the 19th century until Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863 declaring the last Thursday in November be regularly commemorated as Thanksgiving. It has been … Continue reading Thanksgiving in the White House
by Thomas Schwartz In a recent CBS 60 Minutes interview, president-elect Donald Trump told Lesley Stahl, “I’m not going to take the salary. I’m not taking it.” The annual salary of the President of the United States is currently $400,000 plus other provisions for expenses such as entertaining and travel. President-elect Trump will not be … Continue reading “I’ve never accepted compensation…for federal service…”
On August 10, 1962, Herbert Hoover celebrated his 88th birthday by attending the dedication and opening of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library -Museum in West Branch, Iowa. Accompanied by friend and former president Harry S. Truman, Hoover fondly reminisced about growing up in West Branch and celebrating the Fourth of July with firecrackers purchased by … Continue reading Herbert Hoover a Superhero?
The Hoovers continued the tradition, which began during the Theodore Roosevelt administration, of sponsoring concerts or "musicales" at the White House, usually following important dinners or receptions. The Hoovers' tastes, and therefore the programming, tended toward classical music. Some of the renowned artists who performed at the Hoover White House included opera stars Margaret Matzenauer … Continue reading White House ‘Musicales’
New Exhibit April 23 - October 23, 2016 Hoover and Prohibition When President Herbert Hoover entered the White House in 1929, prohibition was already the law. The 18th Amendment was ratified in 1919 and took effect nationwide in 1920. It called for a ban on alcohol sales in one year. States struggled to enforce prohibition and the federal government … Continue reading Ain’t Misbehavin? The World of Gangsters
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
