Historical Figure
Herbert Clark Hoover
b. 1874
President of the United States from 1929 to 1933
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Biography
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and was the director of the U.S. Food Administration, followed by post-war relief of Europe. As a member of the Republican Party, he served as the third United States secretary of commerce from 1921 to 1928 before being elected president in 1928. His presidency was dominated by the Great Depression, and his policies and methods to combat it were seen as inadequate and overly conservative. Amid his unpopularity, he decisively lost reelection to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.
Timeline
The story of Herbert Clark Hoover, told in moments.
Organized food relief for 10 million Belgians trapped behind German lines during WWI. He was a private citizen. No government authority. He just did it. They called him "the Great Humanitarian."
Elected president in a landslide. He'd never held elected office before. He promised "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage." The stock market crashed eleven months later.
Ordered the Army to clear the Bonus March veterans' camp from Washington. Troops used tear gas and bayonets on WWI veterans and their families. Douglas MacArthur led the assault. The images destroyed Hoover politically.
Artifacts (7)
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