Herbert Hoover and the Road to the White House
An Eminently Capable and Moral Leader On the Wrong Side of History
Very few presidents entered the office with as much promise as Herbert Hoover in 1929. A self-made man and multimillionaire, Hoover’s career was truly international and epitomized the “rugged individualism” he identified with. Compassionate with a deep sense of humanitarianism, Hoover’s volunteerism, particularly the food relief he championed in Europe during World War One, earned him the title of “food czar.” Yet seven months into his presidency, the stock market crash would cause his undoing.
Preparation for Public Service
He was the first president to come out of the Quaker faith tradition. Orphaned at age nine, Hoover worked his way through Stanford University where he met his future wife, Lou Henry. Both graduated with degrees in geology.
Herbert Hoover learned the mining business from the ground up, working first in a Nevada gold mine and later spending time in the desolate terrain of Australia for a British mining company. Hoover was astute, investing in mines and making money. He married Lou after returning to the United States and setting up a consulting business.
In 1899 the Hoovers traveled to China only to be caught up in the Boxer Rebellion. Hoover’s consulting work continued to 1914 when war broke out in Europe. Setting up the American Commission for Relief, Hoover’s selfless volunteerism first kept the Belgians from starving and later, as the war ended, children throughout Europe.
Hoover’s Political Sense
Although supporting Teddy Roosevelt in 1912, Herbert Hoover admired Woodrow Wilson and even advocated Wilson’s League of Nations. Following Warren Harding’s victory in 1920, he was appointed Secretary of Commerce.
A tireless worker, Hoover pushed relief efforts of victims of the 1927 Mississippi River flood. He firmly supported the 19th Amendment, referring to Prohibition as a “noble experiment.” When the Republican Party met in 1928 to nominate a candidate, Hoover was the obvious choice.
Viewed as fully competent and deeply moral, Herbert Hoover evoked all that was considered traditionally American. Despite his relationship with big business, Hoover appealed to average Americans. His candidacy represented the confrontation between an urban and a rural culture both of which embodied different values, or so the nation believed.
A Contest of Opposites
His opponent was the Democratic Governor of New York, Alfred Smith. Smith, the “happy warrior,” was also a self-made man but vastly different from Hoover. A “wet” who vigorously opposed Prohibition, Smith was also a Roman Catholic, a political liability for high office in the 1920s.
Although political historians concede that “religion didn’t decide the election of 1828” (Boller), anti-Catholic propaganda reminiscent of the 19th Century Know-Nothing Party highlighted an ignorance of Catholicism. More than any other factor, the positive economy coming out of “Coolidge Prosperity” gave Hoover the victory. Americans wanted to believe in a “chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage.”
Hoover and the Coming Depression
Following the stock market crash, unemployment spiraled and many Americans found themselves homeless. Hoover relied on state relief and private charities, but these were soon overwhelmed. Hoover’s rejection of direct federal intervention earned him scorn.
Throughout the nation, shanty towns dubbed “Hoovervilles” sprang up. In Washington, DC, an army of veterans camped on the Mall, demanding pension benefits. Violently driven out of the city with tear gas and bayonets by Douglas MacArthur, the plight of these veterans characterized an administration that seemed both aloof and powerless.
Perhaps the deeper questions as to why Hoover failed to respond are still to be answered, particularly given Hoover’s long background of competence and compassion. These are the questions future historians should ask.
Sources:
- Paul F. Boller, Jr., Presidential Campaigns From George Washington to George W. Bush (Oxford University Press, 2004)
- William A. DeGregorio, The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents (Gramercy Books, 2001)
- Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr., and others, The American President Riverhead Books, 1999)
- Page Smith, America Enters the World: a People’s History of the Progressive Era and World War I (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1985)
Herbert Hoover
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