Herbert Hoover was born on August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa, to a devout Quaker family. After being orphaned at age eight, he was sent to live with relatives who taught him the importance of hard work and industry. Hoover's exceptional talent for engineering led him to Stanford University, where he graduated in 1895. He married Lou Henry in 1899 and had two sons, Herbert Jr. and Allan.
Hoover's engineering career flourished, earning him a millionaire status by age forty. He left his career to enter public service during World War I, organizing relief efforts to feed starving Belgians and later, as the head of the Food Administration, encouraging Americans to reduce food consumption to support the war effort.
After the war, Hoover organized massive relief efforts to feed starving Europeans. He served as Secretary of Commerce under Presidents Harding and Coolidge, expanding the department and working closely with business and labor. Hoover became the Republican candidate for President in 1928, defeating his Democratic opponent, Alfred E. Smith, and was sworn in as President on March 4, 1929.
However, Hoover's presidency was marked by the Great Depression, which began just seven months into his term. Despite initial efforts to address the crisis, Hoover's policies proved ineffective, and his dour demeanor and seeming callousness towards the unemployed contributed to his unpopularity.
In the summer of 1932, the Bonus Expeditionary Force, an army of World War I veterans, marched to Washington, demanding immediate payment of a promised bonus. Hoover obtained $100,000 to buy the veterans' train tickets home, but many stayed in Washington. The US army, led by General Douglas MacArthur, forcibly evicted the veterans, setting their camps on fire and forcing them out at gunpoint.
Hoover was defeated in the 1932 election by Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt and spent the remainder of his life as a critic of FDR's policies. After his wife's death in 1944, Hoover moved to New York City, where he lived for the next twenty years. He remained active in Republican politics and undertook relief efforts for Europe in 1946.
In 1953, Hoover chaired a commission to increase efficiency in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. He died on October 20, 1964, at the age of ninety.
