Served: March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933

Born: August 10, 1874

Birthplace: West Branch, Iowa

Died: October 20, 1964

Occupations: Mining engineer, civil engineer, businessman, humanitarian

Political Party: Republican

Spouse: Lou Henry Hoover

Hoover: A Quaker President

Herbert Hoover was the 31st U.S. president. He came from a Quaker background and worked as a mining engineer before becoming a president. In fact, before being nominated for the presidency, he had no elected-official experience.

He was known for leading humanitarian efforts in Belgium, heading the U.S. Food Administration, and serving as secretary of commerce under two presidents.

One of the key positions that defined Hoover’s governmental views was that he felt many of the expenses and waste produced by an inefficient government could be fixed with the right team of people looking at the problem.

A Life Among Miners

Hoover finished his early schooling through night classes and then went on to attend Stanford University the year it opened. In 1895, Hoover graduated with a geology degree and shortly after graduating, he began working in Australia at a London-based gold mining company.

Hoover married his college sweetheart, Lou Henry, and with their two sons they moved to China.

Herbert Hoover’s Pets King Tut, Belgian shepherd

King Tut, Belgian shepherd Pat, German shepherd

Big Ben, fox terrier

Sonny, fox terrier

Glen, Scottish collie

Yukon, Eskimo dog

Patrick, wolfhound

Eaglehurst Gillette, setter

Weejie, elkhound

And a pair of alligators owned by President Hoover’s son Allan Henry Hoover that sometimes crawled around the White House grounds MORE PETS! Check out our photo gallery of selected White House pets

By 1908, Hoover had become an independent mining consultant and methodically began making global investments while traveling for his business. His investments paid off, and he became wealthy at a young age.

At the start of World War I, Hoover began leading humanitarian efforts, from distributing food and clothing to helping Americans stranded in Europe return to the United States. His public service era was what later led to his Congressional appointments.

It was around this time that Hoover was appointed to head the U.S. Food Administration by President Woodrow Wilson and later as secretary of commerce.

The Beginning of the Great Depression

Hoover was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in the 1928 election, which he won in a landslide victory. With the Wall Street crash of 1929, Hoover was faced with one of the largest economic depressions in history—the Great Depression.

The terrible economy overshadowed much of his presidency, and he was not re-elected in 1932.

Did You Know…?