31. Herbert (Clark) Hoover and his importance in the era
After capably serving as Secretary of Commerce under Presidents Harding and
Coolidge, Hoover became the Republican Presidential nominee in 1928. He said
then: "We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than
ever before in the history of any land." His election seemed to ensure
prosperity. Yet within months the stock market crashed, and the Nation spiraled
downward into depression. After the crash Hoover announced that while he would keep the Federal budget balanced, he would cut taxes and expand public works spending. In 1931 repercussions from Europe deepened the crisis, even though the President presented to Congress a program asking for creation of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to aid business, additional help for farmers facing mortgage foreclosures, banking reform, a loan to states for feeding the unemployed, expansion of public works, and drastic governmental economy. At the same time he reiterated his view that while people must not suffer from hunger and cold, caring for them must be primarily a local and voluntary responsibility. His opponents in Congress, who he felt were sabotaging his program for their own political gain, unfairly painted him as a callous and cruel President. Hoover became the scapegoat for the Depression and was badly defeated in 1932. In the 1930's he became a powerful critic of the New Deal, warning against tendencies toward statism.