Herbert Hoover Timeline

(August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964)

Herbert Hoover was the 31st President of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A successful mining engineer and humanitarian before politics, he led relief efforts in World War I and oversaw food administration. His presidency was defined by the stock market crash of 1929 and the onset of the Great Depression, and he was defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Life and Education

Herbert Hoover is born in West Branch, Iowa

Aug 10, 1874

Herbert Clark Hoover was born on August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa, to Quaker parents Jesse and Hulda Hoover. He was the second of three children in a family that would soon face hardship.

Hoover orphaned after death of both parents

Dec 13, 1880 - Feb 22, 1884

Hoover's father Jesse died of typhoid fever in December 1880, and his mother Hulda died of pneumonia in February 1884. Orphaned at age nine, Hoover was sent to live with relatives in Oregon.

Moves to Newberg, Oregon to live with uncle

Aug 8, 1885

In August 1885, eleven-year-old Herbert Hoover traveled by train to Newberg, Oregon, to live with his uncle Dr. John Minthorn, a physician and businessman who ran a Quaker school where Hoover studied.

Enters Stanford University as member of pioneer class

Oct 1, 1891

Hoover enrolled in the inaugural class of Leland Stanford Junior University in California in 1891. He studied geology, worked part-time jobs to support himself, and became active in student life.

Graduates from Stanford with geology degree

May 30, 1895

Hoover graduated from Stanford University in May 1895 with a degree in geology, launching a career in mining engineering that would take him around the world.

Image source: Herbert Hoover

Marries Lou Henry

Feb 10, 1899

Hoover married Lou Henry, a Stanford geology classmate, in Monterey, California, in February 1899. The couple honeymooned en route to China, where they lived during the Boxer Rebellion.

Image source: Lou Henry Hoover

Engineering and Humanitarian Career

Works as mining engineer in Australia and China

May 10, 1897 - 1908

Hoover joined the British mining firm Bewick, Moreing & Co., working in Western Australia and later China, where he helped manage mines during the Boxer Rebellion siege of Tianjin in 1900.

Image source: Allan Hoover

Becomes independent mining consultant

Jan 1, 1908

Leaving Bewick, Moreing & Co., Hoover established himself as an independent consulting engineer based in London, building an international reputation and considerable wealth advising mining ventures worldwide.

Publishes 'Principles of Mining'

Sep 1, 1909

Hoover published Principles of Mining in 1909, a widely respected textbook on mine valuation and organization drawn from his lectures at Columbia and Stanford universities.

Image source: Mining methods of the Klondike Gold Rush

Translates Agricola's 'De Re Metallica'

Jan 1, 1912

Hoover and his wife Lou translated Georgius Agricola's sixteenth-century mining treatise De Re Metallica into English, publishing it in 1912 to scholarly acclaim.

Image source: De re metallica

Leads Commission for Relief in Belgium

Oct 22, 1914 - 1919

At the outbreak of World War I, Hoover organized the Commission for Relief in Belgium, which delivered millions of tons of food to occupied Belgium and northern France, earning him international fame as the 'Great Humanitarian.'

Image source: Commission for Relief in Belgium

Heads U.S. Food Administration under Wilson

May 19, 1917 - Nov 11, 1918

President Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover to lead the U.S. Food Administration during World War I, where he promoted voluntary conservation through campaigns like 'Meatless Mondays' and stabilized food supplies for the Allies.

Image source: United States Food Administration

Heads U.S. Food Administration under Wilson

Directs American Relief Administration in postwar Europe

Feb 24, 1919 - 1923

After the war, Hoover headed the American Relief Administration, coordinating food aid across war-torn Europe, including famine relief in Soviet Russia that saved millions of lives.

Image source: American Relief Administration

Presidency

Serves as Secretary of Commerce under Harding and Coolidge

Mar 5, 1921 - Aug 21, 1928

Hoover served eight years as Secretary of Commerce, first under Warren Harding then Calvin Coolidge, promoting standardization, efficiency, aviation regulation, and cooperative business-government relations.

Image source: United States Secretary of Commerce

Wins presidential election over Al Smith

Nov 6, 1928

Hoover won the 1928 presidential election decisively, defeating Democratic governor Al Smith in a landslide, promising continued prosperity and 'a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.'

Image source: 1928 United States presidential election

Inaugurated as 31st President of the United States

Mar 4, 1929

Herbert Hoover was inaugurated as the 31st president on March 4, 1929, pledging to continue prosperity, expand federal cooperation, and address issues like farm relief and prohibition enforcement.

Agricultural Marketing Act signed to aid farmers

Jun 15, 1929

Hoover signed the Agricultural Marketing Act in June 1929, creating the Federal Farm Board to stabilize crop prices through government-supported cooperatives, an early attempt to address agricultural distress.

Stock market crash begins the Great Depression

Oct 24, 1929 - Oct 29, 1929

The Wall Street stock market crashed in late October 1929, triggering the Great Depression. Hoover initially viewed it as a temporary downturn but the economic collapse deepened throughout his term.

Image source: Wall Street Crash of 1929

Smoot-Hawley Tariff enacted

Jun 17, 1930

Despite opposition from economists, Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, raising duties on thousands of imported goods. The act prompted foreign retaliation and worsened the global Depression.

Image source: Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act

Establishes Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Jan 22, 1932

Hoover created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in January 1932 to provide emergency loans to banks, railroads, and businesses, marking a significant expansion of federal intervention in the economy.

Image source: Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Bonus Army veterans clash with Army in Washington

Jul 28, 1932

World War I veterans camped in Washington demanding early payment of bonuses were forcibly dispersed by troops led by Douglas MacArthur. Images of the crackdown badly damaged Hoover's public image.

Image source: Bonus Army

Loses presidential election to Franklin D. Roosevelt

Nov 8, 1932

Hoover was overwhelmingly defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in November 1932, as voters blamed him for the Depression. Roosevelt carried all but six states in one of history's most lopsided elections.

Image source: 1932 United States presidential election

Post-Presidency

Leaves office after 'lame duck' interregnum

Mar 4, 1933

Hoover left office on March 4, 1933, deeply unpopular. During the four-month interregnum he attempted to secure Roosevelt's cooperation on economic policy, but their relations remained strained.

Retires to Palo Alto home at Stanford

Mar 5, 1933

After leaving Washington, Hoover settled at his home on the Stanford University campus, writing books, giving speeches criticizing the New Deal, and managing his philanthropic institutions.

Coordinates postwar famine relief in Europe

Mar 1, 1946 - 1947

President Truman called Hoover out of retirement to survey world food needs after World War II. His Famine Emergency Committee helped organize shipments that alleviated hunger in occupied Europe.

Chairs Hoover Commission on government reorganization

Sep 27, 1947 - 1955

Truman appointed Hoover to chair the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of Government, known as the Hoover Commission, which recommended sweeping reforms to streamline federal agencies.

Publishes memoirs 'The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover'

Jan 1, 1951 - 1952

Hoover published his three-volume memoirs between 1951 and 1952, covering his years of adventure, humanitarian work, presidency, and ordeal with Franklin Roosevelt.

Image source: Herbert Hoover

Dedicates Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

Aug 10, 1962

On his 88th birthday, Hoover dedicated his presidential library and museum in West Branch, Iowa, becoming the first president to have his papers housed in a library built during his lifetime.

Image source: Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum

Herbert Hoover dies in New York City

Oct 20, 1964

Herbert Hoover died on October 20, 1964, in New York City at age 90. After lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda, he was buried beside his wife Lou at the Hoover Library site in West Branch, Iowa.

Image source: Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter

Key Facts

Herbert Hoover was born on August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa, and was orphaned by age nine.
He became a wealthy mining engineer, working in Australia, China, and around the world before entering public service.
Hoover organized massive humanitarian food relief efforts during and after World War I, earning the nickname 'The Great Humanitarian.'
As the 31st U.S. President (1929–1933), Hoover faced the Great Depression following the 1929 stock market crash; his policies were widely seen as insufficient to address the crisis.
After leaving office, Hoover remained active in public service for over three decades, chairing the Hoover Commission on government reorganization, until his death on October 20, 1964.

Source

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