The Life of Herbert Hoover

This is the first definitive study of the presidency of America's least understood and most under-appreciated Chief Executive. Combining government with private resources, Hoover became the first president to pit government action against the economic cycle, setting precedents and spawning ideas employed by his successor and all future presidents.

"The Life of Herbert Hoover is an eloquently written narrative substantiated by thorough historical research and constitutes a welcome addition to the existing literature on Hoover's presidency and the Great Depression. It is by far the most comprehensive account of how Hoover's multifaceted personality shaped his relationship with the Party, Congress, and the media, and influenced his poly choices. The book will be of great value to any scholar working on that period." Political Science Quarterly

"Glen Jeansonne has produced a balanced and meticulously researched account of the presidency of Herbert Hoover. The book is the fifth in the biographical series and certainly one of the best in the series . . . This book gives attention to the complex context Hoover found himself in as president. Jeansonne is positive without being overly sympathetic and nuanced enough to keep readers' attention and raise new and interesting research agendas." The Journal of American History

"Glen Jeansonne's meticulous research and vigorous, passionate prose, creates an insightful evaluation of a misunderstood and sometimes forgotten president in The Life of Herbert Hoover: Fighting Quaker, 1928-1933. Jeansonne offers the reader a fresh look at Hoover's presidency, eloquently shedding light on how he met a demanding job during difficult times. Fighting Quaker is much more than an evaluation of a president; instead, it empathetically paints a picture of a humanitarian public servant met with an untimely economic disaster, rather than an impersonal, do-nothing president mishandling adversity. With warmth, candor, and an impressive depth of research, Jeansonne crafts a portrait of a great American." - Express Milwaukee

"The fact is, most 'conventional wisdom' about Hoover, both taught in college classrooms and coming through 'historians,' is flat-out wrong. Such is the inescapable conclusion one must draw after reading Wisconsin academician Glen Jeansonne's richly detailed account of the Hoover presidency, 1929-1933" - Washington Times

"Glen Jeansonne has produced a balanced and meticulously researched account of the presidency of Herbert Hoover. Jeansonne masterfully paints Hoover as a man of principle who compromised as best he could [. . .] but he remained faithful to his voluntarist vision. Jeansonne weaves a rich and complex narrative that for the first time allows readers to see Hoover in the Great Depression as an active, innovative leader asking critical questions about the economic and moral code of government." - The Journal of American History

"Essential." - CHOICE

"A major contribution to the scholarly literature." - Presidential Studies Quarterly

"In masterful prose, Glen Jeansonne skillfully explains how a man once heralded as the 'Master of Emergencies' was later branded as 'President Reject.' It's a cautionary tale of the contradictions between public service and political leadership and Jeansonne tells it well. This book is destined to become the standard account of the Hoover presidency." - Timothy Walch, Director Emeritus, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

"In this nuanced and sensitive portrait of Herbert Hoover as President, Glen Jeansonne invites readers to take a fresh look at the thirty-first President. His Hoover is a warmly human leader who drew upon twenty years of national and international experience to formulate a rational but ultimately unsuccessful program to combat the Great Depression. This book offers readers a fresh, impartial account of the much-criticized presidency of Herbert Hoover." - Kendrick A. Clements, professor of History, the University of South Carolina and author of The Life of Herbert Hoover: Imperfect Visionary, 1918-1928

"Glen Jeansonne demystifies and revitalizes the distorted image of Herbert Hoover, commonly perceived as a failed president, rejected by public opinion, historians, and posterity. Meticulously researched and written in an eloquent style, Jeansonne explores every facet of Hoover's presidency, going beyond any previous study in detail, thoroughness, and insight. He portrays a warm, sensitive, humane, principled, yet flexible, embattled Quaker coping with a tough job during tough times. The reader learns that while the Great Depression was the focus of president's time and energy there was much more to his administration, including his family, his social life, his love of children, good conversation, reading, and fishing, his inveterate kindness, and his gentle wit. The Life of Herbert Hoover: Fighting Quaker, 1928-1933 opens new vistas into the life and presidency of Herbert Hoover and doubtless will alter the image of the much maligned national leader whom Raymond Moley characterized as the greatest Republican of his generation." - Hal Elliott Wert, Kansas City Art Institute, and author of Hoover the Fishing President: Portrait of a Private Man and His Life Outdoors

"Glen Jeansonne has produced an impressive and provocative appraisal of Herbert Hoover's embattled presidency - and a fresh, empathetic account of a remarkable American life. Writing with vigor and flair, Jeansonne presents us a Hoover almost nobody knows but whom everyone ought to know, if we are to understand our nation's past without prejudice." - George H. Nash, author of the first three volumes of The Life of Herbert Hoover

GLEN JEANSONNE Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. His books include A Time of Paradox: American Since 1890; Messiah of the Masses: Huey P. Long and the Great Depression; and Women of the Far Right: The Mothers Movement and World War II, among others. His second book, Gerald L. K. Smith: Minister of Hate, won the Gustavus Myer Award, the Wisconsin Writer's Award, and was nominated for the Pulitizer Prize in Biography. Jeansonne has also published biographies of Barack Obama , Elvis Presley and Leander H. Perez, and more than sixty academic and popular articles.