HERBERT HOOVER
Politics
Born: August 10, 1874
West Branch, Iowa
Died: October 20, 1964

"A good many things go around in the dark besides Santa Claus."

Herbert Clark Hoover was the son of a blacksmith and grew up in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and Oregon. He graduated in engineering from Stanford in 1891 and worked as a mining engineer in Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe. In 1900, while working as chief engineer in the imperial mines in China, Hoover became involved in directing food relief for victims of the Boxer Rebellion. After several other relief committee appointments, Hoover became U.S. Food Administrator in 1917. He was Secretary of Commerce from 1921 until 1928, when he was elected 31st President over Democrat Alfred E. Smith. In 1929 the economy collapsed when the stock market crashed. Hoover opposed federal aid to the unemployed during the depression and was defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 election.