Herbert Hoover was the 31st President of the United States. He was known as “the great humanitarian,” largely because of his work during World War I and the years following his presidency.
Hoover was born on August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa. After the death of both of his parents, Hoover became an orphan at the age of nine. When he was 11, he moved to Oregon.
Hoover went on to attend Stanford University as part of the inaugural class, where he met his wife, Lou. They married on February 10, 1899, and jetted off to China the next day.
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While living and working in China, the Boxer Rebellion of June 1900 occurred. His wife worked in hospitals during the time, while Hoover helped direct the building of barricades.
When World War I began in Europe, Hoover was living in London. During this time, he helped 120,000 Americans return home to the United States, according to the source.
Hoover also led the Commission for Relief in Belgium, which provided food for Belgian civilians, according to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.
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After that, Hoover became the head of the U.S. Food Administration under President Woodrow Wilson. He also served as Secretary of Commerce in President Warren Harding and President Calvin Coolidge’s administrations.
Hoover himself earned the Republican nomination and became the 31st President of the United States from 1929 to 1933. In the same year he took office, the Great Depression began, and it continued through his presidency.
While the years he spent in the White House have been associated with the Great Depression, he spent the years following his presidential departure still working in politics, including on commissions under both President Harry Truman and President Dwight Eisenhower.
He also dedicated much of his post-presidential time to writing books, including three memoirs covering his early life, his time in office and the Great Depression.
Hoover died on October 20, 1964.
