Historical Figure
Herbert Hoover
1874–1964
President of the United States from 1929 to 1933
Talk to Herbert Hoover
Have a conversation with this historical figure through AI
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.
In Their Own Words (5)
So far as the personal side is concerned, the victory was to him who lost and the defeat to him who won. I can say that never in the last fifteen years have I had the peace of mind that I have since the election. I have almost a feeling of elation.
On losing the presidency to Franklin Delano Roosevelt , 1934
I am firmly opposed to the government entering into any business the major purpose of which is competition with our citizens... for the Federal Government deliberately to go out to build up and expand... a power and manufacturing business is to break down the initiative and enterprise of the American people; it is the destruction of equality of opportunity amongst our people, it is the negation of the ideals upon which our civilization has been based.
On vetoing the "Muscle Shoals Bill" which was the seed for the later creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority , 1971
Our country has deliberately undertaken a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.
On Prohibition; sometimes misquoted as referring to Prohibition as "a noble experiment"; reported as such in Paul F. Boller, Jr., and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, & Misleading Attributions (1989), p. 47-48. , 1928
In the large sense the primary cause of the Great Depression was the war of 1914-1918. Without the war there would have been no depression of such dimensions. There might have been a normal cyclical recession; but, with the usual timing, even that readjustment probably would not have taken place at that particular period, nor would it have been a "Great Depression."
p. 2: Lead paragraph Chapter 1 : The origins of the Depression. , 1952
The recognition of Russia on November 16, 1933, started forces which were to have considerable influence in the attempt to collectivize the United States.
p. 484 , 1952
Timeline
The story of Herbert Hoover, told in moments.
Organizes the evacuation of 120,000 Americans stranded in Europe at the start of World War I. Then feeds Belgium. His Commission for Relief runs a $12 million monthly operation feeding 9 million civilians through the German blockade. He's 40 and has never held office.
Appears on the first long-distance television transmission. His face is transmitted from Washington to New York over 200 miles of wire. The image is blurry and one inch tall.
Stands before Congress and declares the economy sound. The crash happened two months ago. He believes in voluntary cooperation between government and business. He's wrong. Within a year, 4 million Americans will be unemployed.
Orders the Army to clear the Bonus Army from Washington. General MacArthur leads infantry, cavalry, and six tanks against 43,000 unarmed veterans and their families camped along the Anacostia River. The images destroy what's left of Hoover's presidency.
Dies in New York at 90. He'd lived 31 years after leaving the White House. Truman asked him to lead famine relief after World War II. He fed Europe again. He outlived every insult the Depression years threw at him.
Artifacts (1)
More from the Industrial
Explore what happened on the days that shaped Herbert Hoover's life. Today In History connects historical figures with the events, births, and deaths that defined their era. Browse all historical figures or explore today's events.