Article

Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

A middle aged man in a suit, tie, and high-collar shirt sits for a portrait photo.
Herbert Hoover, 1928

National Archives & Records Administration

"My country owes me no debt. It gave me, as it gives every boy and girl, a chance. It gave me schooling, independence of action, opportunity for service and honor. In no other land could a boy from a country village, without inheritance or influential friends, look forward with unbounded hope."

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover, mining engineer, humanitarian, statesman, and 31st President of the United States, was born August 10, 1874 in a simple two-room cottage in West Branch, Iowa. His Quaker family had helped settle the town, and their principles of honesty, hard work, simplicity, and generosity guided Hoover throughout his life of service to the nation and the world.

President Herbert Hoover
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President Herbert Hoover

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Images of Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States

People

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    • Sites: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, The White House and President's Park
    A black and white photo depicts a smiling middle aged man in a hat outdoors.

    Herbert Hoover, mining engineer, humanitarian, statesman, and 31st President of the United States, was born August 10, 1874 in a simple two-room cottage in West Branch, Iowa. His Quaker family had helped settle the town, and their principles of honesty, hard work, simplicity, and generosity guided Hoover throughout his life of service to the nation and the world.

Stories

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    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Santa Fe National Historic Trail
    A historic portrait of a man in a suit.

    When Charles Curtis was born in 1860, no one could have known that he was destined for a career in national politics. Nor that he would become the first with American Indian ancestry to hold the second highest office in the nation. Curtis was 1/8th American Indian and a descendent of Kaw Chief White Plume and Osage Chief Pawhuska. As a child, for a short time, he lived on the Kaw Indian Reservation near Council Grove, Kansas, an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Restoration of the Birthplace Cottage

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    Workers pose by a small house under restoration in a 1930s photo.

    In the years following his presidency, Herbert and Lou Hoover restored the president's humble birthplace, which he called, "physical proof of the unbounded opportunity of American life." The small space and few material possessions reflect the Hoovers' ethic of thrift, while the antique furnishings represent common household items of a simply furnished two room rural home.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Herbert Hoover Historic Places

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    The portico of a museum is painted white with a carved wooden presidential seal.

    Numerous historic sites, museums, and homes in the United States and abroad commemorate the life of President Herbert Hoover.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Series: Herbert Hoover, West Branch's Native Son

    • Type: Series
    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    A middle aged man in 1920s dress holds up a German shepherd by its paws.

    What do you want to be when you grow up? Most of us have been asked this question, and many of us are still looking for the answer— life is a continuous journey, and few of us know just where we may end up. Herbert Hoover could not have know that he would become the 31st President of the United States. He did believe in the "American dream"— that if you work hard, have faith in yourself, and treat others fairly and charitably, then you can accomplish anything.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Triumphs & Tragedies

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    An eight year old boy poses for a portrait in 1881 with his younger sister and older brother.

    Herbert Hoover grew up in a supportive family and as a member of a close-knit Quaker community. His childhood experiences in West Branch included the deaths of both parents. Young Herbert relied on values like hard work and faith to overcome being an orphan.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    A Memorial & a Legacy

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    Mourners look on as American servicemen fold a flag over a coffin.

    Following his presidency, Herbert Hoover's family wanted to create a place where the values he believed in could be shared with all Americans. The park reflects the Hoovers’ and their supporters’ vision of how anyone might achieve the American Dream.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Simple Beginnings

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    A baby in 1800s clothes sits for a portrait photo.

    Herbert Hoover's long and accomplished life began in 1874 in a two-room cottage in the center of West Branch, Iowa. His ancestors arrived in horse-drawn wagons hoping to find a new life for their families as they settled in this developing, primarily Quaker, midwestern rural community.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    The Emergence of the Great Humanitarian

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    A man in a suit and hat poses with three relief workers and sacks of flour.

    Herbert Hoover grew up in a Quaker family and community that valued peace, simplicity, integrity, and service to others. That Herbert Hoover took these beliefs to heart became evident when he emerged from the ghastly carnage of the First World War an American and international hero.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Family & Fellowship

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    An extended multigenerational family poses during a picnic in 1878.

    Herbert Hoover's parents and their fellow Quakers played a large role forming his values. During these early childhood years, Herbert saw how the Quaker faith promoted simplicity, integrity, equality, peace, and service to others. The hard work and conscientious deeds of his parents and their neighbors helped build a community (of Quakers and others) that also supported the Hoover family.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Adversity Leads to Opportunity

    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    Dignitaries in formal suits listen to an inaugural speech.

    From the ups and downs of his childhood Herbert Hoover grew to be a resilient and self-reliant man. As his personal achievements mounted, he came to believe that uncommon character opened doors of opportunities, and that individuals acting conscientiously and cooperatively could together solve great problems.

Educational Activities & Materials

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  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    From Iowa To The World

    • Type: Field Trips, Student Activities
    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    • Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    Children walk with and admire an elder former president in postwar Warsaw.

    How did daily life of a rural community in the 1870s and 1880s compare to our own daily lives? Did events of Herbert Hoover's childhood motivate his career in public service? What did Herbert Hoover do to be recognized as a good citizen of the world? A visit to historic buildings from President Hoover's childhood helps answer these questions.

  • Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

    Lessons Learned In West Branch

    • Type: Field Trips, Student Activities
    • Locations: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
    • Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    A teacher

    How did Herbert Hoover’s early years in 19th century West Branch influence his character? Which character traits did he learn that made him a leader? Where do we get our own skills for success? A visit to historic buildings from President Hoover's childhood helps answer these questions.

Last updated: April 15, 2021