Herbert Clark Hoover, 1874 - 1964
White House portrait by Elmer Wesley Greene (1956)
Born: 10 August 1874, West Branch, Iowa
Died: 20 October 1964, New York City
Hoover's parents both died before he was ten years old, and young Herbert Clark Hoover moved to Oregon to live with an uncle in 1885. He attended Friends Pacific Academy (now George Fox University) for two and a half years, then worked as an office boy for his uncle and never attended high school. He signed up for Stanford University when that school first opened and earned a degree in geology in 1895. He became a mining engineer in Australia, married his college girlfriend Lou Henry in 1899. He worked in China during the Boxer Rebellion and was besieged for a month, he and Lou learned enough Mandarin to later use it in the White House to speak confidentially. As an independent consultant he worked around the world, although he lectured at both Stanford and Columbia during that time, and was at London when World War I broke out. He was asked to organize the evacuation of American tourists, students, and businessmen from Europe, a total of some 120,000. For two years he was in charge of feeding Belgium, operating factories, mills, and a railroad. When the US entered the war Hoover was head of the US Food Administration, after the war he supervised US relief efforts in Central Europe and Russia. He was US Secretary of Commerce under presidents Harding and Coolidge. The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 ravaged huge areas along the river, six state governors asked Coolidge to dispatch Hoover to organize all emergency response. He was elected president in 1928, just in time to be blamed for the Great Depression, his efforts at bringing about a recovery were ineffective. Hoover lost to Franklin Roosevelt in 1932's lopsided election. His reputation damaged, he took little part in politics until after WW II.
Biography from Wikipedia and White House
Herbert Hoover quotes:
Quotes found : 68 — (15 per page, this is page 1 of 5) 1 2 3 4 5 Next
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- A good many things go around in the dark besides Santa Claus. permalink
Herbert Hoover - About the time we think we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends. permalink
Herbert Hoover - All men are equal before fish. permalink
Herbert Hoover - America - a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose. permalink
Herbert Hoover - American life is builded ... upon that fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago ... [It] can not survive with the defense of Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper? permalink
Herbert Hoover - Any practice of business which would dominate the country by its own selfish interest is a destruction of equality of opportunity. Government in business, except in emergency, is also a destruction of equal opportunity and the incarnation of tyranny through bureaucracy. permalink
Herbert Hoover - As a nation we must prevent hunger and cold to those of our people who are in honest difficulties. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Being a politician is a poor profession. Being a public servant is a noble one. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Blessed are the young, for they will inherit the national debt. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Children are our most valuable natural resource. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the incentive to progress. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Economic depression can not be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncement. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Economic depression cannot be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncement. Economic wounds must be healed by the action of the cells of the economic body - the producers and consumers themselves. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Engineering is a great profession. There is the satisfaction of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to realization in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings homes to men or women. Then it elevates the standard of living and adds to the comforts of life. This is the engineer's high privilege. permalink
Herbert Hoover - Fishing is much more than fish.... It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers. permalink
Herbert Hoover
Quotes found : 68 — (15 per page, this is page 1 of 5) 1 2 3 4 5 Next
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