After Trump and Reagan.
Herbert Hoover had the misfortune of being in office when the stock market crashed in 1929, and that is what he is most remembered for. That is a grave injustice to the man. He was a highly capable individual, a great humanitarian, and something that is all too rare in the world of politics: an honest man. He had some things in common with our current president.
- He got wealthy in the private sector before entering politics.
- He never ran for any elected office prior to running for president.
- He donated his entire presidential salary to charity.
Hoover started out in the mining industry. Through education and inclination he became a mining engineer. By the time he was in his 30s he was considered one of the world’s top mining engineers. He became a partner in a global mining company. The company was rocked by scandal when their accountant stole a million dollars from the company and left the country. Hoover and his partners made the decision to honor the company’s debts, including the ones illegally incurred by their accountant to pad his own pockets. Hoover’s share of it took nearly all the wealth he had accumulated, and he had to start over. Hoover and his partners were hurt in the short run, but in the long run they benefitted from the reputation for honesty they gained.
When WWI started, Germany invaded Belgium and commandeered its food and transportation industries for their own use. Great Britain slapped a naval blockade on Belgium and millions of Belgians faced starvation. Since the United States was a neutral country, Hoover was able to lead a private sector relief effort. To do that, he had to get permission from Great Britain to pass through their blockade. To get that, he needed assurances from the Germans that they would not commandeer the relief efforts for their own use. Both of these he was able to get. He was one of the few people who could pass through both enemy lines at will. The Germans took the extraordinary step of printing on his passport, “This man is not to be stopped at any place or for any reason.”
Hoover and his staff worked without pay. When the United States entered the war in 1917 and was no longer neutral, Hoover handed the relief efforts off to other neutral countries. An audit that was done at the time showed no corruption and very little overhead.
After the war, at President Wilson’s request, Hoover led another relief effort to feed millions of Europeans in war-torn counties, including those of former enemies. When some people objected to that, Hoover asked, “Are you waging war against women and children now?”
He served as Secretary of Commerce under Presidents Harding and Coolidge, and was persuaded to run for president in 1928. He won by a landslide. Then came the fateful stock market crash that forever tarnished his reputation. Long after he left office, the Democrats continued to campaign on fears of a return to “Hoover days.”
In 1947, President Truman invited Hoover to the White House and asked for his assistance in finding ways to make the government more efficient and less costly. The request affected Hoover so much he had to step out of the office and compose himself. When he returned, he apologized to Truman. “I didn’t mean to be rude, but it’s been a long time since anyone asked me to do anything for my country.”