By Thomas F. Schwartz Herbert Hoover relied on accurate reporting from a variety of sources on the impact famine and food shortages were affecting area in Russia from 1921-23. As Secretary of Commerce for President Harding, Hoover could not travel abroad to see for himself the tragedy already gripping many parts of the Russian empire. … Continue reading James Putnam Goodrich: Witness to the Famine
By Thomas F. Schwartz Wars are always highlighted in the history books for later generations to read about. The humanitarian efforts that follow in the aftermath of wars rarely receive as much attention except by the people who are the immediate beneficiaries. After World War I, significant problems of food shortages faced many countries. Herbert … Continue reading “To All Honest People”: Hoover’s Response to Famine
by Spencer Howard When Herbert Hoover became President in 1929, one of his early initiatives was to call for a national conference on child health. Hoping to build on the work of the non-profit American Child Health Association, an organization he had founded in 1923, President Hoover announced that the purpose of his proposed conference … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s vision for healthy children – Part 2: The Children’s Charter
This image is from the Commerce Years gallery at the Hoover Presidential Museum. by Spencer Howard Of the many charitable organizations that Herbert Hoover led, one of the most important was the American Child Health Association. In its almost 13 years of existence, from its founding by Herbert Hoover in 1923 to its liquidation in … Continue reading Herbert Hoover’s vision for healthy children – Part 1: The Child’s Bill of Rights
Lynn Smith On January 7, 1944 former first Lady Lou Henry Hoover died. For several decades of her life she was active with the Girl Scouts of America, serving in many leadership positions ranging from Troop Leader to National President. To pay tribute to this dynamic lady, the Girl Scouts created Lou Henry Hoover Memorial … Continue reading Memorial Forest and Wildlife Sanctuaries
Lynn Smith Sitting on a hillside in Burlingame, California is Hoover Elementary School. Originally founded in 1932, the neighborhood school closed its doors in 1979 due to declining enrollment. The school district sold the building to Buddhist monks. In 2010, the school district purchased the building back and after extensive renovations and the construction of … Continue reading Lou Henry Hoover Amphitheater
Herbert Hoover won the 1928 election in a landslide over Democrat Al Smith of New York. Four years later Hoover lost the 1932 election in a landslide to New York Democrat Franklin Roosevelt. The intervening four years marked the onset of the Great Depression. Ever pragmatic, Hoover knew that the American people would place their … Continue reading Herbert Hoover on Public Acceptance of the President
by Lynn Smith, Archivist The election of Herbert Hoover to the presidency on November 6, 1928, put West Branch, Iowa on the map. The small town was proud of their native son. Soon after the election, town leaders formed the Hoover Birthplace Committee who started planning celebrations and arranged a train trip to Washington, D.C. … Continue reading Inaugural Train Trip from West Branch to Washington, DC
Guest author: Bob Erickson Sheri and I were married on a beautiful Saturday evening on the 24th August of 1968 in the First Lutheran Church in Cresco, Iowa just a few blocks from where we had graduated high school just two years earlier. After attending church on the morning of Sunday the 25th, we left … Continue reading Meeting a President
by Spencer Howard Frances Knight Parrish was the head of the U. S. Passport office from 1955 to her retirement in 1977. Working under her maiden name, Miss Knight was known for her no-nonsense style, constant feuds with her superiors at the State Department, and her conservative politics. Her tenure was noted for marked efficiency … Continue reading The “Dragon Lady” of the Passport Office – Frances Knight Parrish
