Hoover Information

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Hoover do in Western Australia?

Hoover arrived in Albany, Western Australia, in May, 1897 as an employee of the British mining firm, Bewick, Moering & Co. He traveled by train to Coolgardie, at that time the center of mining operations in Western Australia, where he worked under the direction of Edward Hooper, the resident partner of the company. The goldfields were located in the middle of the Great Victoria Desert, which Hoover called a land of "black flies, red dust, and white heat." Lack of water, lumber and fuel made any kind of mining operation difficult. Hoover spent the next year and a half planning development work, ordering and laying out equipment, and examining new prospects.

Hoover would often travel to outlying mines by camel, which he called "even a less successful creation than a horse." On one of his trips, he made a detailed inspection of a new mine called the "Sons of Gwalia," which he recommended that his company buy. It proved to be one of the richest gold mines in the world.

As a result of his hard work in Australia, Bewick, Moering & Co. offered Hoover a position as a consulting engineer to the Chinese government, to assist with developing mines in China. Hoover left Australia in December, 1898.

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Where can I find basic biographical information about Herbert Hoover?

Please visit our online biography at http://www.ecommcode.com/hoover/hooveronline/hoover_bio/index.htm

Excellent print biographies of Herbert Hoover include:

David Burner, Herbert Hoover: A Public Life.
Richard Norton Smith, An Uncommon Man: The Triumph of Herbert Hoover
Joan Hoff Wilson, Herbert Hoover: Forgotten Progressive

or see our bibliography at http://hoover.archives.gov/education/readinglist.html.

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During the 1928 presidential campaign, did Herbert Hoover really promise "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage?"

The Hoover campaign used a variety of slogans in 1928 including "Vote for Prosperity," "Lest We Forget" (referring to Hoover's World War I relief work), and "Who but Hoover?"

Other slogans were introduced by Hoover supporters, often without direct input from Mr. Hoover. The link between Hoover and the phrase "a chicken in every pot" can be traced to a paid advertisement which apparently originated with the Republican National Committee, who inserted it into a number of newspapers during the 1928 campaign. The ad described in detail how the Republican administrations of Harding and Coolidge had "reduced hours and increased earning capacity, silenced discontent, put the proverbial 'chicken in every pot.' And a car in every backyard, to boot." The ad concluded that a vote for Hoover would be a vote for continued prosperity.

Hoover did make a variety of optimistic statements during the campaign, such as, "the slogan of progress is changing from the full dinner pail to the full garage," and "given a chance to go forward with the policies of the last eight years, and we shall soon with the help of God be in sight of the day when poverty will be banished from this Nation," but Hoover never promised "a chicken in every pot."

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Can you give me any information about President Hoover's Inauguration? Do you have pictures of the Inaugural Ball?

Mr. Hoover was inaugurated March 4, 1929 in a heavy rain storm (the 20th Amendment to the Constitution changing the date to January 20 took effect in 1937). To take the oath of office, he placed his hand on a family Bible which was open to Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he." In his Inaugural Address, President Hoover spoke about the need for strengthening law enforcement and reforming the criminal justice system, especially in regards to the enforcement of Prohibition. He also called for increased Federal involvement in improving education and public health, and he emphasized the responsibilities of the United States in the establishment and maintenance of world peace. Mr. Hoover announced that he would call a special session of Congress to address the pressing need for agricultural relief and tariff reform.

An Inaugural Ball was not held in 1929. President Wilson had discontinued the tradition of holding a Ball at his first inauguration in 1913, because he did not believe that a Ball was compatible with the solemnity of the occasion. Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover followed Wilson's example. A Charity Ball was held on the evening of the inauguration to raise money for three local charities: the Policeman's Relief Association, the Fireman's Relief Association, and the Community Chest. The event raised $29,487.47. The Hoovers were not involved with the Charity Ball, and did not attend.

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What did President Hoover do to fight the Depression?

Many people believe that President Hoover did little or nothing in response to the Great Depression. In fact, beginning immediately after the stock market crash in October, 1929, Hoover implemented many ideas to lessen the effect of the Depression and to hasten the recovery. He directed all Federal Departments to speed up public works and other projects, in order to create more jobs. He directed the Federal Farm Board to support commodities prices and asked Congress to decrease non-essential government spending and use the money to start new public works. President Hoover called many conferences with industry and finance leaders to encourage voluntary cooperation among businesses to relieve the Depression. Hoover also created the President's Organization on Unemployment Relief to stimulate and coordinate employment and relief efforts.

After the collapse of the European economy in April of 1931 caused the Depression to become even worse, President Hoover called for a temporary suspension of international debt payments, which saved the international banking system from complete collapse. With foreign trade at a standstill, prices for U.S. manufactured goods and farm products fell, and American industries began laying off even more workers. President Hoover asked Congress to appropriate more money for farm loans and to create the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, which would be used to help financially endangered building and loan associations, agricultural cooperatives, banks and railways. He proposed federally funded Home Loan Discount Banks to help protect people from losing their homes. He asked Congress to loan $300,000,000 to the states to aid their relief programs, and to transfer agricultural surpluses from the Farm Board to the Red Cross for distribution to relief agencies.

By July, 1932 the Depression had begun to show signs of improvement. But many people in the United States were unhappy with the rate of recovery, and blamed Hoover for all the problems and suffering that had occurred. With the Presidential election approaching, the Democratic candidate, Franklin D. Roosevelt, promised the people a "New Deal." In November, Roosevelt was elected President.

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While in the White House, did the Hoovers have a retreat? Where else did they live?

Mr. Hoover's presidential retreat, Camp Rapidan, was built in 1929 near the headwaters of the Rapidan River in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, 100 miles SW of Washington, D.C. The 164-acre complex was built with Mr. and Mrs. Hoover's own money. The camp consisted of 13 buildings plus a large outdoor stone fireplace, several miles of hiking trails, a stone fountain, and man-made trout pools. In addition to several cabins for the Hoovers and their guests, a school for local children was built on the site at Mrs. Hoover's request. When the Hoover's left office, they donated the complex to Shenandoah National Park for use by future presidents. Today it is managed by the National Park Service and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For additional information, please see Darwin Lambert's Herbert Hoover's Hideaway: The Story of Camp Hoover on the Rapidan River in Shenandoah National Park published by the Shenandoah Natural History Association, Inc. (Luray, Virginia, 1971) Reprinted 1983 and 2000.

Mr. and Mrs. Hoover lived in many places all over the world including China and Australia. There are a few homes that are particularly noteworthy. In the years between 1908 and 1916 "The Red House" on Horton Street in London was home. Their most well known home, located at 623 Mirada in Stanford, California was dubbed the "house on San Juan Hill." This home, designed by A.C. Clark and his son Birge, was built in 1919-20. They lived there part-time from 1921-28 while he was Secretary of Commerce. At the same time the Hoovers had a home at 2300 S Street in Washington, D.C. After leaving the White House the Hoovers split time between their Stanford home and the Waldorf Astoria Towers in New York City. After Mrs. Hoover died in 1944, Mr. Hoover gave the home to Stanford University. The home, still owned by Stanford University, is now known as the Lou Henry Hoover House. Designated as a National Historic Site in 1985, it is currently used as home of the university's president. Mr. Hoover remained in Apartment 31-A of the Waldorf Astoria until his death in 1964.

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Did Herbert Hoover receive a salary as President?

Mr. Hoover's personal policy throughout his public career was to accept no compensation for any public service, though when he worked for the Government as Secretary of Commerce and President, he was required by law to accept a salary.

In an interview with Charles Scott, editor of the Iola (Kansas) Daily Register in January, 1937, Hoover explained:

"I made up my mind when I entered public life that I would not make it possible for anyone ever to say that I had sought public office for the money there was in it. I therefore kept the money that came to me as salary in a separate account and distributed it where I thought it would do the most good. Part of it went to supplement the salaries of men who worked under me and whom the government paid less than I thought they were worth. Part of it went to charities."

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I'm researching my family history. Does the Hoover Library have any genealogical resources?

The Hoover Library does not contain any genealogical records, except for the Hoover family genealogy compiled by President Hoover's brother, Theodore. For your family history search, you might begin by talking with a reference librarian at your local public library. Some public libraries, historical societies and regional offices of the National Archives and Records Administration, as well as the Family History Centers operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, can provide you with access to U. S. census records and other genealogical resources. Online resources for genealogical research include Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com), GenTree (www.gentree.com), Cyndi's List (www.cyndislist.com), and Family Search (www.familysearch.org).

Here are the addresses of several historical societies and Regional Archives in the mid-west that have extensive genealogical collections:

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Can you provide me with a copy of Executive Order 5396 which grants special leaves of absence to disabled veterans in need of medical treatment?

Executive Order 5396 for on-screen viewing	Executive Order 5396 for printing may be slow in loading

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I'm looking for my grandfather's military records. Can you provide me with copies?

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library has no military records. 20th century military records are kept at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO. To visit them online, go to http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html.

Earlier military records are housed in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/veterans_service_records.html.

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Please provide me additional information about the Rose Wilder Lane/Laura Ingalls Wilder papers at the Hoover Library.

Rose Wilder Lane, the only child of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder wrote the first biography of Herbert Hoover entitled The Making of Herbert Hoover. In the late 1970s a researcher studying the book, who knew the heir to the Lane papers, asked if the Hoover Presidential Library would be interested in obtaining Ms Lane's papers. Considering she was Hoover's first biographer, it was decided that her papers would be a good addition to the Library's holdings. Her papers included correspondence with her mother and typescript drafts of several of Laura's "Little House" books. Look at the finding aid to the Lane papers.

Rose Wilder was born on December 5, 1886, near DeSmet, Dakota Territory. The family moved to Mansfield, Missouri, and built Rocky Ridge Farm in 1894. At age 22, Rose moved to San Francisco, California and a year later married Gillette Lane. After ten years of marriage, however, she divorced Lane. The couple had no children. In 1920 she wrote The Making of Herbert Hoover. In the early 1920s she lived and worked in Eastern Europe. Her 1923 book, The Peaks of Shala, described her travels in Albania.

Rose did some of her most successful writing between 1928 and 1935 while living at Rocky Ridge. In the late 1930s she collaborated with her mother on the "Little House" books. During the 1940s Rose's life and writings took a new turn. Rose was concerned with the infringement of individual rights by governments. Her book, The Discovery of Freedom (1943), traces the history of freedom, and points to the United States as the leader of the revolution of freedom. Rose Wilder Lane died in 1968 just before her scheduled departure on a three-year round-the-world trip.

To conduct research in the Lane papers you may visit our Reading Room Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 12:30 to 4:45 p.m.

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Can you please tell me how much my Herbert Hoover related item is worth?

No, we are very sorry that we cannot give out values. All museums are ethically forbidden to place values on artifacts. Even though we might know a value we cannot not give them out since we are fellow collectors and possibly competitors. We suggest you check with your local antiqe dealer or look on-line for other collectors.

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I have a brass coin about the size of a quarter that has "Hoover Lucky Pocket Piece" written on it. Can you tell me about it?

We can tell you very little about the the Hoover Lucky Pocket Piece, except they seem to be very common. They were made in 1928 by the Greenduck Co.of Chicago, Illinois--a company that made many campaign pins and tokens. We suspect they were not issued by the Hoover campaign, because our archives hold no information on them at all.

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