"Herbert Hoover National Historic Site" West Branch by Toughluck

Few Americans have known greater acclaim or more bitter criticism than Herbert Hoover. Born on August 10, 1874, Hoover was the son of a Quaker blacksmith, orphaned at an early age, and achieved international success as a mining engineer and world-wide gratitude as "The Great Humanitarian" who fed a billion people in 57 countries during and after World War I.

Within a few short months after being elected 31st President of the United States, in a 1928 landslide, the global hero had become a scapegoat in his own land. Even today, Hoover remains indelibly linked with the Great Depression that put millions of his countrymen out of work in the 1930's. Hoover's once bright reputation was put in shambles, yet he refused to fade away.