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Executive Offices
In 1949, five years after the death of First Lady Lou Hoover, former President Herbert Hoover was appointed as chair of the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government which became commonly known as the Hoover Committee. President and First Lady Hoover were advocates of the Efficency Movement, a major component of the Progressive Era. The focus of this movement was that government, particularly the federal government, was riddled with inefficiency and waste. Thus, not surprisingly President Truman appointed former President Hoover chair of the committee to evaluate the efficiency of the executive branch of the federal government.
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World Starvation
On three separate occasions Lou Hoover encountered the issue of hunger caused by war - China during the Boxer Rebellion; London and Belgium during World War II. Each time she rolled up her sleeves and went to work to reduce hunger, doing whatever was necessary. One of the more famous stories of her efforts occurred during her stay in China. While distributing milk and other foods with her bicycle, her front tire was shot out by bullets. She did not, however, get upset and continued delivering necessary supplies to needy people.
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Joan of Arc
Throughout her life, Lou Hoover was a fan of the theater. This passion began in her youth when she played Joan of Arc in the Bailey Street School production. Lou Hoover playing Joan of Arc was a natural selection. As a young girl she was a leader and organizer of sports contests and other leisure activities. As an adult she put herself in dangerous situations in her relief efforts in China, England and Belgium.
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Scouting
Lou Hoover loved the outdoors, and loved to camp and fish. Her love of the outdoors made her the perfect candidate for a Girl Scout troop leader. While serving as First Lady of the United States, Lou Hoover also served as the leader of Troop VIII of the Girl Scouts. As the leader of her troop, she guided the girls to plant plots of vegetables and maintain a war garden. Lou Hoover, however, did not only serve as a troop leader, but also president of the national organization and a member of the national board. Lou Hoover believed Girl Scouts “made the girls better homemakers, citizens, and friends, and that it encouraged keener minds and stronger characters.”
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The Cultures of China
On their wedding day the Hoovers sailed to China where Herbert worked as Director General of the Department of Mines of the Chinese Government. As with every country where they lived, Lou immersed herself in the culture and learned the language. Chinese was one of five languages of which Lou became fluent. Herbert Hoover once wrote in a letter, “the English speaking Chinese in town always address her in Chinese and me in English."
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National Geographic Society
Lou Hoover volunteered by being involved with many organizations. Her love of the outdoors and keen intelligence is likely to be two of the reasons she became involved in the National Geographic Society, an organization founded in 1888 for the purpose of “organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge.” Today the National Geographic Society has numerous branches, many of which focus on education and children.
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Women Scientists
Lou Hoover attended Los Angeles Normal School with the intent of becoming a teacher, just like her mother. In 1892, Lou intended to transfer to San Jose Normal School to further her education; however she attended a lecture that would change her life. Professor J. C. Branner, a famous geologist, gave a lecture that piqued the future First Lady’s interest. After the lecture, she approached Dr. Branner to discuss the subject further. Their discussion led to Dr. Branner encouraging Lou to becoming the first female geology major at Stanford University. While attending a dinner sponsored by Dr. Branner, Lou met her future husband, Herbert Hoover.
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Secretary of Commerce
In 1921 First Lady Lou Hoover was overseeing the construction of her long-planned home in Palo Alto when her husband was appointed Secretary of Commerce. Called “wonder boy” by President Calvin Coolidge, Hoover turned the Commerce Department into a powerful and effective branch of the executive office of the federal government. As her husband served in this role, Lou Hoover gained knowledge regarding the Washington society and served as the national president of the Girl Scouts of America.
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Who Keeps Our Food Safe and How
During World War I, Lou and Herbert Hoover helped Americans stranded in Europe. Herbert Hoover became Chairman of the Commission of Relief in Belgium. Lou Hoover was Herbert’s partner in his relief work and organized the California branch of the Commission for Relief of Belgium which raised money and backing for one of the first food ships sent to Belgium. Because of their work in Belgium, Herbert Hoover was appointed America’s Food Administrator and Lou Hoover enlisted women in food conservation which sponsored wheatless and meatless days and began the slogan “Food Will Win the War.”
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Latin: The Language of Ancient Rome
In 1907, Lou Hoover was a student of geology and also fluent in German and Latin. One day she found a rare book on mining, Agricola de re Metallica and she decided to translate the German version into English. She and her husband Herbert, the future president, worked on the translation when relaxing in the evenings. The project took five years and as a result, the Hoovers were awarded the first gold medal for distinguished service by the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America.
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Theater Appreciation
Lou and Herbert Hoover were avid theater fans. While living in London, they attended approximately one play per week. Lou’s appreciation for the theater can be traced back to her childhood when she played Joan of Arc in the Bailey School play. Such devotion to the theater resulted in "At Camp Lou Hoover, the Girl Scouts of America", which commemorates the First Lady’s love of theater with 'Curtain’s Up', a camping program where girls develop “skills to entertain, work on group drama activities, design costumes and scenery,” as well as practice acting skills.
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Mining Disasters
Lou Hoover, the first female geology major at Stanford University, had a love of rocks, minerals and mining. This love of mining led her to discover in the British Museum in London, Agricola de re Metallica, a sixteenth century manual of mining and metallurgy. After obtaining the text from an antiquarian book dealer, Lou and Herbert began to translate the book into English. After five years of work, the project was completed and published in 1921. The text continues to be referenced in articles on mining.
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History of Women in Sports
The 1920’s was a decade in which amateur sports blossomed primarily due to press and radio coverage. One controversy that arose was the role of women in sports. The Vice President of the National Amateur Athletic Federation, Lou Hoover, organized a conference to address this controversy. The outcome of the conference was the Women’s Division, which was responsible for managing growth and policy of women’s sports and had the stated belief that "promotion of competition that stresses enjoyment of sport and the development of good sportsmanship and character rather than those types that emphasize the making and breaking of records, and the winning of championships for the enjoyment of spectators and for the athletic reputation or commercial advantages of institutions and organizations." This policy continued until 1940.
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Salvation Army/Service Learning
Herbert and Lou Hoover are well known for their relief efforts. In 1914, the Hoovers were living in London and Lou intended to take her sons back to California to start school while she supervised the construction project of building their dream home. The outbreak of World War I interrupted this plan and instead Lou established the Society of American Women in London to provide help. Eventually they did make it back to America, but shortly after arriving, Herbert Hoover was appointed Chairman of the Commission of Belgian Relief; Lou helped by organizing the California branch of the Commission for Belgian Relief, which financed one of the first food shipments to Belgium from California. After leaving the White House, Herbert Hoover became in charge of the Finnish Relief Fund and Lou was elected the chairman of the Western Women's Committee, which assisted the Salvation Army in its campaign to gather clothing for the millions of war refugees in Europe.
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Boxer Rebellion
In 1900 Lou and Herbert Hoover were living in Tientsin, China in an enclave of people who were not Chinese. The Hoovers were in China because the future president was employed as the Director General of the Department of Mines of the Chinese Government. In early June, the Hoovers heard reports of Boxers, a rebellious religious sect, nearing Tientsin and though considered dangerous, the Hoovers chose to stay. During the Boxer Rebellion Lou Hoover helped build barricades, volunteered and, for her work obtaining milk for children and the wounded was dubbed the “Chief Cowboy and Dairy Maid.”
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Hoover Dam
Lou Hoover was a highly educated woman and had much experience in civics when she became First Lady. Unfortunately, she was unable to use her skills due the Great Depression and public perceptions. President Hoover was often blamed for the depression. The public’s displeasure was also keenly felt by his wife. In an effort to end some of their unpopularity President Hoover had the Hoover Dam named after him because construction of the dam would employ 5000 people. When FDR came into office he changed the dam’s name to the Boulder Dam. On April 30, 1947, President Truman signed a resolution renaming the dam once again the Hoover Dam.
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Geology: History of Earth
In 1894, Lou Hoover entered Stanford University where she became the first woman to major in geology. At a dinner hosted by her professor, Lou met Herbert Hoover, a fellow geology major and discovered that they both had much in common, including being geology majors and a love of fishing. During geology field experiences, Lou and Herbert fell in love. Lou and Herbert became international travelers and one day while in England she discovered a rare geology book, Agricola de re Metallica, which was written in Latin. Together the Hoovers translated the Latin text into English. Their efforts resulted in a gold medal from the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America.
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The Home Front: Women, Children and War
After being trapped in China due to the Boxer Rebellion, the Hoovers relocated to London, England only to find themselves again trapped by war. Much like she did in China, Lou Hoover set about helping those on the home front, particularly American women and children stranded in London. In this effort, Lou Hoover collected food and clothing and obtained lodging for those stranded. She even organized tours of London to entertain those stranded and take their minds off of their situation.
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Camping: Wilderness Survival
As a child and an adult, Lou Hoover loved to be outdoors. Lou developed her love of nature by fishing, camping, hiking, riding and trapping rabbits with her father. On these excursions he would teach her about flowers, trees, rocks, and animals. When alone, she would often collect hazelnuts on the path behind her home or skate on the frozen river nearby. Lou Hoover’s love of the outdoors made her an ideal candidate for the Girl Scouts, where she served as a troop leader, board member, and national president.
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Who Burned Down Barnum’s Museum?: 19th Century Social Conflict
As a child, one way that Lou Hoover entertain herself was by entertaining others. She played Joan of Arc in a school play and organized masquerade balls for her friends birthdays. Lou also was commonly known in the neighborhood for her ability to produce circuses. In these circuses, she assigned children to play different roles. For those not in the circus, she provided an invitation to watch the circus. Lou’s interest in entertaining others perhaps made her aware of a very famous showman. P. T. Barnum, owner of the American Museum.
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