HERBERT HOOVER by William E. Leuchtenburg

Finished Th 8/2/12

"The inefficiency expert whose economic boosterism met its match in the Great Depression"

1874 Born West Branch, Iowa
1884 Orphaned
1885 Sent to Oregon
1891-1895 Enrolls at Stanford, graduates bachelor of arts in geology
1897- To Australia for Bewick, Moreing, and Company (San Francisco company)
1899- Marries Lou Henry and sails to China
1914- After becoming a partner, he forms American Residents in London for Assistance of American Travelers. This group gave loans to help Americans trapped in Europe as WWI began.
Later appointed chairman of the Commission for Relief in Belgium.
1927-Heads relief effort for Mississippi flood victims
1928- Elected President of US. Declared Republican in 1920, but would have been welcomed by both parties.
1929- The Great Depression begins; Organization on Unemployment Relief; National Credit Corporation; Reconstruction Finance Corporation; World Disarmament Conference in Geneva; Emergency Relief and Construction Act
1932-BONUS ARMY ROUTED; Defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt
1946- Appointed Food Ambassador by Harry Truman
1964-Died

A slim book which describes an unusual man who enjoyed many years in glory at the center of the world's biggest events. Became a successful mining expert in Australia and China, saved millions from starvation in Europe, took charge of one of the biggest floods in American history, and lost it all by his mishandling of the government during the Great Depression.

"Vote For Roosevelt, Make It Unanimous"
He actually said that the unemployment statistics were inaccurate because many quit their jobs to make more money selling apples on the street.
He felt that private charities should be handling the relief effort, and he didn't want to commit resources of the federal government because this would undercut their efforts.
Known for creating committees and boards instead of taking action when he was president.

My post at Good Reads:

This is a rather slim book which manages to hit all of the high (and low) points of the life of Herbert Hoover. Here is a man who was one of the most popular men on the planet, who became a US president, and yet ended his career in virtual disgrace. A successful mining engineer who headed an international relief effort which saved millions of Europeans from starvation, and a few years later saved thousands of Americans in a terrible flood of the Mississippi river in 1927. Although, the Great Depression sank his political and civic fortunes, and although he was in no way directly responsible, his inability to take command of the situation will be his sad legacy. 

I thought that this campaign poster for FDR was especially revealing:
"VOTE FOR ROOSEVELT, MAKE IT UNANIMOUS"

The book is just long enough to keep you interested in this multifaceted historical figure, but doesn't bog down with minutia that is the bane of many historical biographies.


Link to Wikipedia:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover