Women's History Month: First Lady Lou Hoover

{Lou Hoover working with Girl Scouts in the field}

Here's to Lou Hoover, wife of President of the United States Herbert Hoover and First Lady of the United States, 1929-1933.

Lou grew up something of a tomboy in Waterloo, Whittier, California and Monterey, California. Her father took her on camping trips in the hills—her greatest pleasures in her early teens. Lou became a fine horsewoman; she hunted, and preserved specimens with the skill of a taxidermist; she developed an enthusiasm for rocks, minerals, and mining. In 1894, Lou enrolled at Stanford University as the school's only femal
e geology major. That year she met Herbert Hoover, then a senior.

Lou continued her education and Herbert pursued his engineering career in Australia. From there in 1898, the year she graduated from Stanford, Herbert cabled a marriage proposal, which she promptly accepted by return wire.

Both Herbert and Lou were 24 when they married in 1899, at the home of the bride's parents in Monterey, California. The next day they sailed from San Francisco for Shanghai, China. The newlyweds soon settled into their first home, a large house in Tianjin. Herbert's job required extensive travel throughout remote, primitive and dangerous areas, which they did together. Mrs. Hoover was present with her husband during the Boxer Rebellion. Possessed of a natural ear for languages, she became quite proficient in Chinese. In the White House, at times, the Hoovers would converse in Chinese to foil eavesdroppers. To date, she is the only First Lady to speak an Asian language.

Lou also distinguished herself by becoming the first First Lady to broadcast on a regular basis. While she did not have her own radio program, she was a guest speaker on a number of occasions from 1929 through 1933, often advocating for volunteerism, or discussing the work of the Girl Scouts. Radio critics praised Lou for having an excellent radio voice and for speaking with confidence.

During World War I, she assisted her husband in providing relief for Belgian refugees. For her work, Lou was decorated in 1919 by King Albert I of Belgium. While Herbert served in the cabinet of Presidents Harding and Coolidge, she was active as national president of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Lou was a remarkable First Lady. She challenged existing social mores by lobbying for more women in government positions and by rebuffing southern racial customs. Lou's behind-the-scenes efforts on behalf of charities exemplified the Hoover administration’s anti-Depression efforts and demonstrated her compassion.


Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Henry_Hoover
millercenter.org/president/hoover/essays/firstlady