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Herbert Hoover Timeline


Timeline Description: Herbert Hoover was America's thirty-first president. He was the second president to be elected without ever serving in public office first, and he donated his salary to others. He presided over the country during the Great Depression and one of his greatest achievements was the Hoover Dam.

DateEvent TitleEvent Description
1874Herbert Hoover is bornHerbert was born in Iowa. He was the first president born west of the Mississippi River.
1884OrphanedHerbert's father died when Herbert was only six years old, and his mother died when he was nine. Herbert and his sister moved in with a different family.
1885Travelling to OregonHerbert left for Oregon to live with his uncle there. He studied hard by going to night school while there, and he learned bookkeeping, typing, and math.
1895Stanford graduationHerbert attended Stanford and paid for the tuition himself by working many jobs. He majored in geology and went on to work in engineering.
1899MarriageWhile at Stanford, Herbert met a woman named Lou Henry. While traveling for his job, he sent her a telegram and asked her to marry him; they married right away.
1900Mining work (early 1900's)Herbert spent the next several years working his way up in a mining company, until he made partner. He lived in Australia and China during this time.
1914World War IWhen war broke out, Herbert began traveling the world for his work. While he traveled, he took up relief efforts to help people effected by the war.
1917U.S. Food AdministrationAmerica joined World War I in 1917, and President Wilson appointed Hoover the head of the U.S. Food Administration. It took care of making sure American troops had enough food to eat.
1921Working in war reliefAfter the war, Hoover continued helping the people of Europe who struggled after the war. When he returned home, the people loved him and the politicians wanted him to run for office.
1928Presidential electionHoover had spent the last few years working with the Chamber of Commerce. When nominated to run for president, he won an easy victory because of his popularity.
1929The Great DepressionThe stock market crashed in 1929, and the world's economy took a turn for the worse. Hoover had to rethink his policies and promises.
1930Trying to fix the nationPresident Hoover tried many ideas to fix the country. He tried sending people who weren't citizens back to their own countries; he also tried raising taxes on imported items so people would buy American-made items.
1930Hoover DamBecause he was trying to boost the economy, President Hoover enacted a public works program. Part of this was the building of the Hoover Dam, which gave many men a job when there were few jobs.
1932Second presidential electionHoover ran for a second term in the White House. However, the people were angry at him because of his inability to stop the Great Depression, and he lost the election.
1964President Hoover's deathHoover retired to California for several years, but he eventually stepped back into public life to help with World War II efforts. He died in 1964 at the age of 90.