Herbert Hoover – 31

Herbert Hoover was the 31st President of the United States of America. He served in the office from 1929 to 1933.

His Presidency is famous for being the time when USA was hit by the Great Depression, which turned out to be the worst economic crisis in the history of USA.

When and where was he born?

Herbert Hoover was born in West Branch, Iowa on August 10, 1874.

Early Life

Herbert Hoover had a hard childhood. Both his parents died while he was still a small child. He later moved to live with his uncle in Oregon.

He gained formal education at an early age and developed the quality of hard work. Later, he gained admission at the Stanford University for further education.

He completed his university studies by earning a degree of geology. Then he started working for different mining companies. This career took him to different parts of the world.

During the World War I, Herbert Hoover played a very important role in helping the Americans in Europe. He was in England at the time and he helped to rescue 120,000 Americans who were stranded in different parts of the war-torn Europe. He also created a large organization to feed millions of refugees throughout Europe.

Life in Politics

His excellent work during the World War I was noticed by the American government. So when Warren G. Harding became the President, Hoover was appointed as the Secretary of Commerce.

As the Secretary of Commerce, Hoover undertook many important public works, including the construction of dams. He became known as a hard working and honest member of the cabinet. When Harding died and Calvin Coolidge became President, he kept Hoover on the post.

When Coolidge decided not to run for Presidency in 1928, Herbert Hoover was nominated by the Republican Party. Thanks to his good reputation, he easily won the elections and became the next President.

Life as the President

Although Herbert Hoover was an honest President, his Presidency turned out to be a period of great turmoil in American history. This was primarily because of the Great Depression that took place during his Presidency. The economic crisis began only a few months after Hoover took office. It began with the stock market crash of 1929.

Herbert Hoover was not to be blamed for the crisis. But he couldn’t play an effective role in helping the millions of people who were severely hit by the economic crisis. This was partly because Hoover believed that the government shouldn’t interfere much in the economy.

Although the Great Depression was not Hoover’s fault, he was blamed for it. So when he ran for a second term in the office, he was defeated by his opponent, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Later Life and Death

Herbert Hoover lived another 31 years after completing his term as the President. During the World War II, he once again launched large-scale efforts to help the people affected by the war.

He later worked as a sort of adviser for different American Presidents. He died on October 20, 1964 in New York, New York. He was 90 years old at the time.

Learn More about American President Herbert Hoover at Wikipedia