President Herbert Hoover might have been a landmark president, had his presidential administration not been harpooned by the onslaught of the Great Depression and darkening skies in Europe. Even still, President Hoover remains a compelling and intriguing figure on the American landscape. He was orphaned at nine years old in the 1880s. Despite this setback he would go on to graduate from Stanford University. During his post-presidency he would establish a center at the university.

President Hoover’s father, Jesse Hoover, was a blacksmith while his mother, Hulda Minthorn Hoover was a seamstress and a recorded minister in the Society of Friends (Quakers). Hoover was our first Quaker president, with the second being President Richard M. Nixon. There was significant speculation due to his Quaker faith whether the incoming president would swear the Presidential Oath of Office or affirm it, as given the option by the United States Constitution, This was because of the Quaker’s abstaining from taking oaths. However The Washington Post reported that he swore the constitutionally prescribed Presidential Oath of Office.

Listen to a Podcast on Quakerism and the Presidency.