Herbert Hoover (1874 – 1964) [cite this] More images » Life in Brief: Upon accepting the Republican nomination for President in 1928, Herbert Hoover predicted that "We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us… more life in brief » Essays about Herbert Hoover Life in Brief Life in Brief: Upon accepting the Republican nomination for President in 1928, Herbert Hoover predicted that "We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us." Hoover won the presidency that year, but h… Life Before the Presidency Life Before the Presidency: Herbert Clark Hoover was born on August 10, 1874. For the first nine years of his life, he lived in the small town of West Branch, Iowa, the place of his birth. His Quaker father, Jessie Clark Hoover, a blacksmith and farm equipment salesman, suffered a heart attack and died when Herbert was six yea… Campaigns and Elections Campaigns and Elections: The Campaign and Election of 1928: When the Republican convention in Kansas City began in the summer of 1928, the fifty-three-year-old Herbert Hoover was on the verge of winning his party's nomination for President. He had won primaries in California, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachuset…Domestic Affairs Domestic Affairs: Herbert Hoover took office in 1929 with a display of optimism and the promise of a "New Day." In his inaugural, he boasted that "in no nation are the fruits of accomplishment more secure" and claimed that "anyone not only can be rich, but ought to be rich." He warned hi…Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs: Herbert Hoover had an admirable reservoir of experience in international affairs when he became President in March 1929. He had traveled the world extensively as a mining engineer, served on President Wilson's delegation to the peace talks at the end of World War I, and worked on international t…Life After the Presidency Life After the Presidency: Still a relatively youthful man upon his defeat in 1932, the fifty-eight-year-old former President lived another thirty-two years before his death on October 20, 1964. Immediately after the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover retreated to his home in Palo Alto, Califor…Family Life Family Life: President Herbert Hoover worked extremely hard, sometimes putting in eighteen-hour days at the office. Hoover usually awoke at 6 a.m. and exercised with a medicine ball, along with select members of his cabinet and staff, Supreme Court justices, and invited congressmen. After his workout, Hoover…The American Franchise The American Franchise: The defining event in the United States during the Hoover years was, without a doubt, the Great Depression. Quite simply, it ranks second only to the Civil War as the greatest domestic crisis in the nation's history. The Depression shaped the nation's politics, economics, culture, social str…Impact and Legacy Impact and Legacy: For many years, both scholars and the American public held Hoover in extremely low esteem, blaming him for the Great Depression and criticizing his efforts to solve the crisis. Beginning in the 1970s, however, Hoover's reputation began to recover. Historians pointed out that Hoover's embrace… About His Administration First Lady Lou Hoover Vice President Charles Curtis Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson (1929–1933) Secretary of the Interior Ray L. Wilbur (1929–1933) Attorney General William DeWitt Mitchell (1929–1933) Postmaster General Walter F. Brown (1929–1933) Secretary of the Treasury Ogden L. Mills (1932–1933) Andrew W. Mellon (1929–1932) Secretary of Labor William N. Doak (1930–1933) James J. Davis (1929–1930) Secretary of Commerce Roy D. Chapin (1932–1933) Robert P. Lamont (1929–1932) Secretary of Agriculture Arthur M. Hyde (1929–1933) Secretary of the Navy Charles F. Adams (1929–1933) Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley (1929–1933) James W. Good (1929) Facts about Herbert Hoover Term: 31st President of the United States (1929 – 1933) Born: August 10, 1874, West Branch, Iowa Political Party: Republican Died: October 20, 1964 Nickname: None Education: Stanford University (graduated 1895) Religion: Society of Friends (Quaker) Marriage: February 10, 1899, to Lou Henry (1875–1944) Children: Herbert Clark (1903–1969), Allan Henry (1907–1993) Career: Engineer Buried: West Branch, Iowa WritingsThe Challenge of Liberty (1934), America’s First Crusade (1942), Memoirs (3 vols., 1951-52), The Ordeal of Woodrow Wilson (1958) Herbert Hoover Image Gallery More images » Herbert Hoover Exhibits ‘“Philosophy of Rugged Individualism”’ On October 22, 1928, Herbert Hoover gave the penultimate speech of his successful presidential campaign entitled, "Principles and Ideals of the United States Government." In that speech, the self-made millionaire expressed his belief that the American system was based on "rugged individualism" and "self-reliance." more exhibits » Ours is a land rich in resources; stimulating in its glorious beauty; filled with millions of happy homes; blessed with comfort and opportunity. March 4, 1929 Citation Information Consulting Editor David E. Hamilton Professor Hamilton is an associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky. His writings include: From New Day to New Deal: American Farm Policy from Hoover to Roosevelt, 1928–1933 (University of North Carolina Press, 1991) Franklin D. Roosevelt » « Calvin Coolidge American President has changed! Click here to take a short survey and tell us what you think!