A Friendship Through Peace

Admiral Kichisaburō Nomura and President Herbert Hoover outside the White House, September 27, 1929. (HHPL-M image 31-1929-a88) During his four years in office, President Hoover met a variety of foreign leaders, both military and civilian. On September 27, 1929, Hoover met Admiral Kichisaburō Nomura of Japan and a group of midshipmen under his command to … Continue reading A Friendship Through Peace

The Use of “American Individualism” in Popular Culture

Cadillac radiator badge, ca. 1922 National Museum of American History #TR.325528.261. Three months after the publication of Herbert Hoover's American Individualism, Herbert Howard Rice, president and general manager of the Cadillac Motor Car Company, dedicated a plaque in honor of the Le Sieur Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. Born March 5, 1658, and founder of … Continue reading The Use of “American Individualism” in Popular Culture

Harold H. Fisher’s Letter of Condolence on the death of Herbert Hoover

Hoover and friends at his 75th birthday celebration, Stanford University. Left to right: Harold Fisher, Ray Lyman Wilbur, Edgar Rickard, Herbert Hoover. (HHPL-M image 31-1949-37) The death of former President Herbert Hoover on October 20, 1964 elicited condolences from world leaders and ordinary people.  Some of the most moving letters to Hoover’s sons came from … Continue reading Harold H. Fisher’s Letter of Condolence on the death of Herbert Hoover

The Gift of Corn: Iowan Humanitarian Aid to Russia in the Famine of 1891-1892

Guest post by Olga Ovcharskaia, PhD candidate in Slavic Languages and Literature, Stanford University In January 1892, the people of Iowa read an appeal by the newly established Iowa Russian Famine Relief Committee: “While our granaries are loaded to bursting and our railways are blocked with grain trains, across the ocean, hundreds of thousands of … Continue reading The Gift of Corn: Iowan Humanitarian Aid to Russia in the Famine of 1891-1892

Critics of American Individualism

First edition of Herbert Hoover's American Individualism No author is without critics and Herbert Hoover’s American Individualism had many, some thoughtful and others simply dismissive.  As both critics and supporters alike point out, Hoover’s musings are not a systematic treatment of the topic.  Some find Hoover’s statements impressionistic while others see them as a portal … Continue reading Critics of American Individualism

American Individualism: A Centennial Anniversary

Herbert Hoover's American Individualismrepublished by the Hoover Institution Press December 2022 will mark the one-hundredth anniversary of Herbert Hoover’s publication, American Individualism.  A mere seventy-two pages, the book was Hoover’s meditation on the recent upheavals brought about by World War I and Hoover’s thoughts on the best path forward for America.  Much of it is … Continue reading American Individualism: A Centennial Anniversary

Remembering the Queen: When Herbert Hoover met Queen Elizabeth II

Former president Hoover, Queen Elizabeth II and New York City Mayor Robert Wagner at luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 10/21/1957. (HHPL-M photo 31-1957-49) by Spencer Howard As the world mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we have been asked if Herbert Hoover ever met the Queen. The answer is yes, in 1957.  Despite … Continue reading Remembering the Queen: When Herbert Hoover met Queen Elizabeth II

Did Vice President Charles Curtis attend Hoover’s Cabinet meetings?

Herbert Hoover and Charles Curtis, June 1928 (HHPL-M image 31-1928-46) by Spencer Howard One question often asked is whether Vice President Charles Curtis attended Cabinet meetings during the Hoover Administration.  At that time, it was a novel idea;  only President Warren Harding had routinely included his vice president, Calvin Coolidge, in Cabinet meetings.  Under most … Continue reading Did Vice President Charles Curtis attend Hoover’s Cabinet meetings?

Amelia Earhart and the Distinguished Flying Cross

by Spencer Howard On May 20, 1932, the fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s record-setting non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland on her own non-stop solo flight.  Fifteen hours later she landed in Ireland, becoming just the second person and the first woman to achieve the feat.  She was … Continue reading Amelia Earhart and the Distinguished Flying Cross

Herbert Hoover’s Nobel Peace Prize nominations

The Nobel Peace Prize medal. by Spencer Howard Herbert Hoover was known as “The Great Humanitarian” for the many food relief programs he led during and after both World Wars.  The precise number of people Hoover saved from starvation remains a matter of debate, but most scholars agree it is in the hundreds of millions.  … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s Nobel Peace Prize nominations