Herbert Hoover (soon too be president) was born on August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa. When Hoover was six years old, his father died. Three years later his mother also died. As a result, Hoover was then raised in Oregon by his aunt and uncle.

The young Hoover was shy, sensitive, and somewhat suspicious boy. He attended Friends Pacific Academy in Newberg Oregon earning average failing grades with the exception of math. Determined to go to the newly established Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Hoover studied hard but barley passed the university's entrance exam.

     Hoover was elected president in 1929, however, within eight months of his presidency, the stock market crashed, signifying the beginning of the Great Depression, the most severe economic crisis the United States had ever known. Hoover earned much of his fame this way.