by Spencer Howard Fall means it is time for "America's pastime" playoffs! Herbert Hoover was a fan of baseball throughout his life; as President he had the traditional honor of throwing the ceremonial first pitch to open the season for the Washington Senators, and he attended other games when he had the time. He even made a … Continue reading Hoover on Baseball
One of the many improvements to the White House was undertaken by President Calvin Coolidge. In 1927, Coolidge replaced 100-year-old pine beams with an expanded third floor using a steel frame. Of the most under-appreciated endeavors of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover are her efforts to preserve and document the rich history of the White … Continue reading Recollections Of A Piece of Wood 1930
On March 18, 1928, an urgent telegram was received by Lou Henry Hoover from Lady Lister-Kay, wife of Sir John Lister-Kay groom-in-waiting to King Edward VII. Lady Lister-Kay queried: "I was horrified to read in the papers this morning of the very narrow escape you had in your automobile yesterday which most happily and mercifully ended … Continue reading Making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill
by Spencer Howard During and after World War I, Herbert Hoover led two great humanitarian organizations, the Commission for Relief in Belgium and the American Relief Administration. Of special concern to both organizations was the plight of children in war-ravaged Europe, and under Hoover's direction over 15 million children received food, clothing, and other assistance. … Continue reading Child Health Day
Like many of their generation, Herbert and Lou Hoover were fascinated by motion pictures. They lived at a time when film evolved from its infancy into a mature industry. Silent pictures were often enhanced by a piano, theatre organ accompaniment or even orchestral scores for some of the epic films. Movie houses in larger cities … Continue reading Movie Night at the White House
One of the most requested Hoover photographs shows President Hoover with King Tut, the family German shepherd. The Hoovers were great dog lovers and as parents of two boys, frequently received pleas for yet one more pet. There is no complete listing of all the family pets over the years, but many creatures seemed to … Continue reading The Death of a King
A story that Herbert Hoover liked to tell concerned one of the more unusual tributes given by a grateful people in honor of Hoover’s humanitarian service. He describes it in An American Epic: “I received many marks of appreciation from the Poles—a square named for me in Warsaw, streets in Cracow and other towns, a … Continue reading Herbert Hoover Looses his Head
The first volume of Herbert Hoover’s memoirs is probably the most revealing. It contains many entertaining asides that demonstrate his dry wit and self-deprecating humor. The volume also discusses his family in ways that is absent in later volumes. Owing to Hoover’s profession as a mining engineer, he was constantly traveling the globe to attend to … Continue reading The War through the Eyes of a Child
Jazz aficionados associate the Savoy with the ballroom in Harlem made famous by Benny Goodman’s rendition of the Edgar Sampson tune. For Herbert and Lou Hoover, the Savoy Hotel was the favorite meeting place for most Americans in London in 1914. When World War I began, the Hoovers noticed long lines outside of the American Embassy. They quickly learned … Continue reading Stompin’ at the Savoy
by Spencer Howard Visitors to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum and the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site who have made the short walk to the Birthplace Cottage will have encountered the seven and a half foot tall statue of Isis that overlooks the Cottage and Hoover Creek. The bronze allegorical statue of Isis, the ancient … Continue reading Isis, the Wandering Goddess
