Herbert Hoover served as the 31st President of the United States from 1929 to 1933. Born in West Branch, Iowa, in 1874, he became a mining engineer, led food relief efforts during World War I, and served as secretary of commerce.
A Republican, Hoover took office during prosperity, but the stock market crash of October 1929 was followed by the Great Depression.
Key Moments
He created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in 1932 to lend money to banks and businesses and backed public works projects. He lost the 1932 election to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Did You Know
Hoover Dam on the Colorado River bears his name. After World War II he led famine relief work and chaired commissions on government reorganization. He and his wife Lou were fluent enough in Chinese to speak it privately.
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