Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964) was an American engineer, humanitarian, and politician who served as the 31st President of the United States from 1929 to 1933. Born in West Branch, Iowa, to a Quaker family, Hoover was orphaned at a young age and raised by relatives in Oregon. He graduated from Stanford University in 1895 with a degree in geology and pursued a successful career as a mining engineer, amassing significant wealth through international mining ventures, including work in Australia, China, and Europe. His expertise led him to become a prominent figure in global relief efforts during World War I, where he directed the Commission for Relief in Belgium, saving millions from starvation, and later served as U.S. Food Administrator under President Woodrow Wilson, implementing efficient food conservation programs. After the war, Hoover continued his humanitarian work by leading the American Relief Administration, which provided aid to war-torn Europe. Appointed Secretary of Commerce by Presidents Harding and Coolidge from 1921 to 1928, he promoted business efficiency, standardization, and voluntary economic cooperation, earning a reputation as a progressive administrator. Elected president in 1928 on a platform of prosperity and limited government intervention, Hoover's administration faced the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. His response, emphasizing rugged individualism, balanced budgets, and public works like the Hoover Dam, was criticized as insufficient and slow, leading to widespread unemployment and public discontent. Blamed for the economic crisis, he suffered a landslide defeat to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. Post-presidency, Hoover remained influential, chairing the Hoover Commission under Truman and Eisenhower to reorganize the federal government, and founding the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in 1919 as a library on war and peace that evolved into a major conservative think tank. He authored numerous books on public policy and mining, and advised on international affairs until his death in 1964. Despite his earlier successes, Hoover's legacy is often tied to the Depression era, though recent scholarship highlights his pre-presidential humanitarian achievements and administrative innovations.