President of the Day

What activities and jobs did Hoover try at Stanford University?

Hoover met John Caspar Branner, the head of the university's geology department. Hoover worked for Branner and helped him create a project that won a prize at the Chicago World Fair. He also landed summer jobs with the U.S. Geological Survey. He became treasurer of his class and drafted a student constitution that lasted for decades. He served as a manager for the baseball and football teams.

What other key person did Hoover meet at Stanford?

Hoover met his future wife, Lou Henry, at Stanford. The two eventually married on February 10, 1889, in Monterey, California.

Where did his work for the mining company take Hoover?

In 1898, Bewick, Moreing, and Company transferred Hoover to China, offering him an even more lucrative position to supervise a new mining operation. Hoover survived the Boxer Rebellion, an uprising by those who advocated against foreign presence, wanting to drive the "foreign devils" out of the country. While in China, Hoover made a heavy profit for his company--and himself--with coal deposits. By 1901, he left China a much wealthier man and relocated to London as a full partner in the firm. For several years, he traveled the globe for the company, including return trips to Australia.

What position did President Woodrow Wilson give to Hoover?

President Woodrow Wilson tabbed Hoover the head of the U.S. Food Administration. Hoover worked endlessly to put out messages of food conservation. He even became eponymous; a new word was coined--"hooverize"--meaning to save in the interests of the larger economy and the country. While considered an effective administrator, sometimes he faced criticism for his blunt and heavy-handed manner.

He later served on the Supreme Economic Council and became economic advisor to President Woodrow Wilson at the Versailles Peace Conference. He was considered so effective in these roles that President Wilson pegged Hoover as a worthy successor. Among those who supported him for president in 1920 was future opponent Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then assistant secretary of the navy.

What is a "Hooverville"?

During the Great Depression, the throngs of unemployed began constructing ramshackle homes in destitute communities that became known as "Hoovervilles." This unflattering name stemmed from hatred for a president who people felt was failing to help them. "Hooverville" was first coined in a 1930 newspaper article and it was first used for a town outside the Chicago area.

From The Handy Presidents Answer Book, Second Edition by David L. Hudson, Jr., JD., (c) Visible Ink Press(R) More than 1,600 things you never knew about our nation's leaders