PRESIDENTS DAY
Born: August 10, 1874 at West Branch, Iowa.
Education: Graduated from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.
Occupation: Mining engineer, philanthropist, public official.
Religion: Quaker.
Family life: Married Lou Henry in 1899: they had two sons. In 1933 they retired to Palo Alto, but maintained an apartment in New York. Mr. Hoover learned the full lavishness of his wife's charities only after her death there on January 7, 1944; she had helped the education, he said, "of a multitude of boys and girls." In retrospect he stated her ideal for the position she had held: "a symbol of everything wholesome in American life."
Politicial career: Secretary of commerce for Harding and Coolidge, 1921-28. Republican nominee for president in 1928, was defeated in 1932 because of economic crash and the Depression. Headed postwar European relief and "Hoover commissions" on government reform, 1947-49, 1953-55.
Hightlights of his presidency: Seven months after inauguration the stock market crashed, bringing on the Great Depression. Used troops to disband veterans marching in Washington for bonuses. Urged withdrawal of American troops from Nicaragua and Haiti.
Appearance: Solidly built, squared-faced, ruddy complexion, graying blond hair.
Died: October 20, 1964 in New York, New York.
Buried: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa.
