Share on Facebook

Herbert Hoover Biography

U.S. President

Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st American president, serving from 1929-33. Hoover was a successful mining engineer and businessman in Australia and China before turning to civic service and politics. During and after World War I he was head of the U.S. Food Administration and the American Relief Administration, and was widely credited with helping prevent starvation in war-torn Europe. A Republican, he then served as Secretary of Commerce under both presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Hoover defeated Democrat Alfred E. Smith in the presidential election of 1928 and took office in 1929. The stock market crash that year, and the ensuing Great Depression, overwhelmed Hoover's presidency. In spite of a wide variety of successful reforms, Hoover was held accountable for the dire economic situation and was badly defeated in his bid for a second term by Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Extra credit: Hoover was a member of Stanford University's first class; he entered in 1891 and graduated in 1895 with a degree in mining engineering. Stanford is now home to the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, a public-policy research center... Hoover married his wife, the former Lou Henry, in 1898; they remained married until her death in 1944. They had two sons: Herbert, Jr. (b. 4 August 1903) and Allan (b. 17 July 1907).

For a complete list of U.S. presidents, please go to Easy Reference for U.S. Presidents.

Blog posts mentioning Herbert Hoover:

• Brother Can You Spare A Rhyme?
• A Salute to the American Presidency Project
• Phony Presidential Trivia