Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Hoover (Lou Henry) miscellaneous papers
XX656
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: Lou Henry Hoover miscellaneous papers
Date (inclusive): 1820-1984
Collection Number: XX656
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1 manuscript box, 9 oversize boxes, 1 envelope, memorabilia
(10.0 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Passport, 1913; war zone passes, 1918; sketch of Lou Henry Hoover, 1931; portfolio of reproductions of drawings of Spanish
missions in California, 1933; and sketches of the White House, Capitol Building, Washington Monument, and Mount Vernon.
Creator:
Hoover, Lou Henry, 1874-1944
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Boxes 3-5, and 10 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research;
materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the
collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
[Identification of item], Lou Henry Hoover miscellaneous papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library
& Archives.
| 1874 | Born, Iowa |
| 1894 | Enters Stanford University, where she meets her future husband, Herbert Hoover, also a Stanford student in the Geology Department |
| 1899 | Marries Herbert Hoover |
| 1900-1918 | Travels extensively with her husband in his career as an engineer, living in China, Siberia, and London, among other places. Accompanies Herbert Hoover on some trips associated with relief activities during and after World War I, and is active herself in charitable work |
| 1919 | Supervises construction of home on Stanford campus |
| 1921-1929 | Lives in Washington, D.C., where her husband is Secretary of Commerce. Is active in the Girl Scout movement |
| 1929-1933 | First Lady of the United States |
| 1944 | Dies |
The Lou Henry Hoover collection in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives preserves selected items associated with the
life of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, the wife of Herbert Hoover, 31st president of the United States.
Lou Henry Hoover met her future husband when they were both students at Stanford University, and the collection contains artifacts
relating to her time at Stanford, including her senior yearbook. The Hoovers would later return to the Stanford campus, building
a home there, and there are photographs and art work in the collection depicting the Lou Henry Hoover House, as the Hoover
residence would later be named.
Herbert Hoover's career as a mining engineer took him to many different countries, and he and Lou Henry Hoover lived abroad
for more than a decade prior to World War I. The collection contains a set of souvenir spoons purchased by Lou Henry Hoover
on her foreign travels.
It was while living in London in 1914, at the outbreak of hostilities, that Lou Henry Hoover and her husband became involved
in helping Americans leave war-torn Europe. Herbert Hoover went on to head the Commission for Relief in Belgium from 1915-1919,
and his wife assisted him in this activity. There are examples of needlepoint lace in the collection that were given to the
Hoovers in recognition of their efforts on behalf of Belgium.
The Hoovers spent the 1920s in Washington, D.C., where Herbert Hoover served first as Secretary of Commerce and then as President.
Lou Henry Hoover took a keen interest in the architecture of the nation's capital, and there is a significant collection of
historical prints of Washington scenes, especially of the White House, in the collection.
The remainder of the collection is comprised mainly of honorary degrees and other awards received by Lou Henry Hoover in the
course of a career in public service. Many other items associated with Lou Henry Hoover are on permanent display in the exhibit
cases of the Hoover Library, located in Hoover Tower on the campus of Stanford University. Additional materials pertaining
to her life and to the Lou Henry Hoover House can be found in the collections of the Green Library, Stanford University. The
largest collection of archival materials relating to Lou Henry Hoover is located in the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library,
West Branch, Iowa.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Drawing
Missions, Spanish -- California -- Pictorial works
California -- Pictorial works
Washington (D.C.) -- Pictorial works
Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964