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

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

Do you know your Hoovers?  An historical field guide

by Spencer Howard Here at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, we often receive questions about other famous people named Hoover, and which Hoover did what.  There are a surprising number of Hoovers and Hoover families in the United States, many of whom are entirely unrelated to each other.  It is not unusual for different Hoovers … Continue reading Do you know your Hoovers?  An historical field guide

Herbert Hoover’s vision for healthy children – Part 2: The Children’s Charter

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

Herbert Hoover’s vision for healthy children – Part 1: The Child’s Bill of Rights

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

Theodore and Herbert Hoover’s Childhood Recollections: A Comparative Study

By Thomas F. Schwartz The first volume of Herbert Hoover’s Memoirs appeared in 1951.  Only ten pages comprise his time in Iowa.  Theodore Hoover, Herbert’s older brother, wrote a 1939 autobiography, Memoranda: Being a Statement by an Engineer, that was never published.  It exists in typescript at the Hoover Institution with a copy at the … Continue reading Theodore and Herbert Hoover’s Childhood Recollections: A Comparative Study

Make Sure Your Getaway Vehicle Doesn’t Break Down

by Spencer Howard The following story is filed with Bureau of Standards reports to Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover: On Sunday morning, March 20, 1921, the arrest of a young man and the recovery of a truck full of Government radio equipment was reported to the Superintendent of the Bureau of Standards.  The robbery was … Continue reading Make Sure Your Getaway Vehicle Doesn’t Break Down