Herbert Hoover was a Quaker born in West Branch Iowa on August 10, 1847. He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in geology and worked as a mining engineer until 1902. His job allowed him to travel all over the world and he gained much understanding of the world. By 1908 he had opened up his own mining consulting business. World War I is what really stared him on the path towards presidency. After war was declared, Hoover was put in charge of evacuating 120'000 Americans stuck in Europe. He, not only succeeded, but he also helped organize the Committee for the Relief of Belgium. Germany had demolished the little European country and Hoover was able to raise millions of dollars for food and medicine for them. After the US entered the war in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover as the head of the US Food Administration. He was able to reduce the amount of food consumed by the Americans in order to safeguard a steady supply of food for the Allied troops. After the armistice treaty as signed, putting an end to the war Hoover was put in charge of another relief program called the European Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Hoover was able to ship over 34 million tons of supplies to the war torn nations of Europe. All Hoover's humanitarian efforts made him extremely well liked with the public. This led him to becoming the secretary of commerce under President Warren Harding. He was able to retain this position even after Harding's successor, Calvin Coolidge, became president. Hoover was constantly finding ways to advance America. He supported new industries such as radio and aviation. He convinced more that a hundred industries to use standardized tools, hardware, building materials, and automobile parts. In 1927, Hoover was at the top of his game. There was massive flooding along the Mississippi River and the relief programs Hoover initiated convinced the Republicans to nominate him for president. There was one little problem though. Hoover believed in a limited role for government , because he thought excessive federal intervention would threaten capitalism and individualism. This belief would become his downfall during the Great Depression.
Presidency
Seven months after Hoover took office the country was plunged into the Great Depression. Unemployment rates rose to 23% and millions of people lost their jobs and had to live in Hoovervilles. Because of Hoover's "hands off" belief for government he tried to fix everything with indirect relief. He reduced taxes, asked for and obtained pledges to not cut down jobs and wages, and told workers to not press for higher wages. Either nothing worked or it didn't have enough impact to make a difference. At long last Hoover signed the Norris-La Guardia Anti-injunction Act in March 1932. This act did three main things: First, it stopped employers from hiring replacement workers to break strikes. Second, it reduced the ability of federal judges to issue injunctions against strikes. Lastly, it gave laborers the right to organize. He also funded the creation of the Hoover Dam which provided a large amount of jobs for the unemployed. However, Hoover (and those under him) made two big mistakes that would forever damage his political standing. First, he got into a fight with Congress over taxes. Then he rejected the demands of unemployed WWI veterans to have their bonuses fully paid. It was these factors that drove his popularity down the drain and prevented him from winning another term.
Legacy
Herbert Hoover is one of those people who's known for what he didn't do: solve the Great Depression. He may have been a philanthropist before his presidency and helped millions of people, but nothing can mask the fact that he vetoed several bills that would've provided direct relief just because he was afraid of socialism. He was just as ineffective with the Depression as Cleveland was with the Panic of 1893. Hoover had to let his successor Franklin D. Roosevelt solve everything. At least we've gotten a lot of use out of his dam. It has thirteen turbines that generate enough electricity to power 1,3 million homes. It is heralded as one of the greatest engineering feats of the twentieth century.
Works Cited
"Hoover Dam." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Herbert Hoover." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Miller Center." Herbert Hoover: Domestic Affairs-. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Miller Center." Herbert Hoover: Life Before the Presidency-. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Miller Center." Herbert Hoover: Impact and Legacy-. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Herbert Hoover on the Great Depression and New Deal, 1931–1933."Herbert Hoover on the Great Depression and New Deal, 1931–1933. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Herbert Hoover." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Miller Center." Herbert Hoover: Domestic Affairs-. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Miller Center." Herbert Hoover: Life Before the Presidency-. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Miller Center." Herbert Hoover: Impact and Legacy-. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Herbert Hoover on the Great Depression and New Deal, 1931–1933."Herbert Hoover on the Great Depression and New Deal, 1931–1933. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.