Presidential transition of Herbert Hoover

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Presidential transition of Hebert Hoover
Date of election November 6, 1928
Inauguration date March 4, 1929
President-elect Herbert Hoover (Republican)
Vice president-elect Charles Curtis (Republican)
Outgoing president Calvin Coolidge (Republican)
Outgoing vice president Charles G. Dawes (Republican)

The presidential transition of Herbert Hoover began when he won the United States 1928 United States presidential election, becoming the president-elect, and ended when Hoover was inaugurated on March 4, 1929.

Contents

Hoover took a "goodwill trip" to Latin America during his transition, in hopes of improving relations between the United States and nations in the region.

Hoover, largely, did not begin focusing on shaping his administration until the final two weeks of his transition. At the time that Hoover's occurred, presidential transitions were much less complex than they are today. The term "presidential transition" had not even begun to be widely applied to the period between an individual's election as president of the United States and their assumption of the office. [1]

"Friendly takeover"

The transition was an example of a "friendly takeover", in which the outgoing president and the president-elect were of the same political party (Republican). It would be the last such transition until the 1988–89 presidential transition of George H. W. Bush. [2] [3]

Secret Service protection

Beginning on November 7, the day after the election, the newly minted president-elect and his family were given protection by the United States Secret Service. [4]

Economy

While the stock market would crash months into Hoover's presidency, starting the Great Depression, the performance of the economy during his transition appeared strong. Among United States presidential transitions, the stock market performed stronger than it had during a presidential transition for decades. The growth of the Dow Jones Industrial Average had experienced during Hoover's presidential transition (21.8%) would not be exceeded by any United States presidential transition until the first presidential transition of Donald Trump. [5] [6]

Latin American tour

President-elect Hoover and his wife aboard the USS Utah in South America, December, 1928. Aboard the USS Utah (BB-31) - Herbert Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover 150126-A-WQ129-042.jpg
President-elect Hoover and his wife aboard the USS Utah in South America, December, 1928.

On November 19, 1928, President-elect Hoover embarked on a ten-nation goodwill tour of Latin America, first departing from San Pedro, in Los Angeles, California aboard the USS Maryland. [4] [7] [8] [9] He was accompanied on the trip by his wife Lou Henry Hoover. [10] He delivered twenty-five speeches, stressing his plans to reduce American political and military interference in Latin American affairs. In sum, he pledged that the United States would act as a "good neighbor." [11] [12] [13]

Hoover's work as United States secretary of commerce had led him to view Latin America as important, and believe that there was need to improve relations. [14] Hoover began planning the trip soon after winning the election. [14] It was the first time that a president-elect had taken such a goodwill trip abroad. [14] Hoover also planned the trip as means of staying away from Washington, D.C., avoiding men seeking to lobby for patronage posts. [14]

The administration of outgoing president Calvin Coolidge lent their support to Hoover's plans to take this trip. [9] Henry P. Fletcher accompanied Hoover on the trip, serving as official advisor to the president-elect as well as a representative of Coolidge and the Department of State. [9] Coolidge ordered that Hoover should be treated with presidential honors on his trip, despite Hoover having not yet entered the office. [9]

While crossing the Andes from Chile, a plot by Argentine anarchists to bomb Hoover's train as it crossed the vast Argentinian central plain was foiled. The group of plotters were led by Severino Di Giovanni. The bomber was arrested before he could place the explosives on the rails. Hoover professed unconcern, tearing off the front page of a newspaper that revealed the plot and explaining, "It's just as well that Lou shouldn't see it," referring to his wife. [15]

During his travels, he delivered roughly 25 speeches. [9] Public reception in the United States of Hoover's trip was largely positive. [9]

DatesCountryLocationsDetails
November 26, 1928Flag of Honduras.svg  Honduras Amapala Met with President-elect Vicente Mejía Colindres and Foreign Minister Augusto Coello. [16] Departed the U.S. November 19, 1928. [17]
November 26, 1928Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador Cutuco Met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Martínez Suárez. [16]
November 27, 1928Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua Corinto Met with President Adolfo Díaz and President-elect José María Moncada. [17]
November 28, 1928Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica San José Met with President Cleto González Víquez. [16] [18]
December 1, 1928Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador Guayaquil Met with President Isidro Ayora. [16]
December 5, 1928Flag of Peru.svg  Peru Lima Met with President Augusto B. Leguía. [16]
December 8–11, 1928Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Antofagasta,
Santiago
Met with President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. Met with Bolivian diplomats to discuss the ongoing Tacna–Arica dispute. [16] [19]
December 13–15, 1928Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Buenos Aires Met with President Hipólito Yrigoyen. [20] Also reported to President Coolidge on the success of his tour via telegraph. [21]
December 16–18, 1928Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay Montevideo Met with President Juan Campisteguy, and addressed the National Council of Administration. [16]
December 21–23, 1928Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg  Brazil Rio de Janeiro Met with President Washington Luís; addressed the National Congress and the Supreme Federal Court. [17] Returned to U.S. January 6, 1929. [22]

Vacation in Florida

After Hoover returned from his Latin American trip, he avoided the press and patronage seekers by vacationing in Florida until February 19. [3] [14] Hoover was in little hurry to begin preparing to take office. Presidential transitions were much less complex when Hoover took office than they have been in more recent decades. [3]

Shaping of Hoover's administration

After his Florida vacation, Hoover began the business of shaping his administration in the final two weeks of his transition period. [3]

Hoover retained two members of Coolidge's Cabinet. One was Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon, whom, per the later recounting of historian David Bruner, Hoover retained in order to avoid a reaction on Wall Street, as the financial sector held Mellon in strong esteem. [3] The other was Secretary of Labor James J. Davis, who was retained, per Bruner's accounting, in order for Hoover to avoid the pressure to appoint John L. Lewis to the position. [3]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Coolidge</span> President of the United States from 1923 to 1929

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Hoover</span> President of the United States from 1929 to 1933

Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and was the director of the U.S. Food Administration, followed by post-war relief of Europe. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1921 to 1928 before being elected president in 1928. His presidency was dominated by the Great Depression, and his policies and methods to combat it were seen as lackluster. Amid his unpopularity, he decisively lost reelection to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 United States presidential election</span>

The 1928 United States presidential election was the 36th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 1928. Republican former Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover defeated the Democratic nominee, Governor Al Smith of New York. After President Calvin Coolidge declined to seek reelection, Hoover emerged as his party's frontrunner. As Hoover's party opponents failed to unite around a candidate, Hoover received a large majority of the vote at the 1928 Republican National Convention. The strong state of the economy discouraged some Democrats from running, and Smith was nominated on the first ballot of the 1928 Democratic National Convention. Hoover and Smith had been widely known as potential presidential candidates long before the 1928 campaign, and both were generally regarded as outstanding leaders. Both were newcomers to the presidential race and presented in their person and record an appeal of unknown potency to the electorate. Both faced serious discontent within their respective parties' membership, and both lacked the wholehearted support of their parties' organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 United States presidential election</span>

The 1932 United States presidential election was the 37th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1932. The election took place against the backdrop of the Great Depression. The incumbent Republican President Herbert Hoover was defeated in a landslide by Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, the governor of New York and the vice presidential nominee of the 1920 presidential election. Roosevelt was the first Democrat in 80 years to simultaneously win an outright majority of the electoral college and popular vote, a feat last accomplished by Franklin Pierce in 1852, as well as the first Democrat in 56 years to win a majority of the popular vote, which was last achieved by Samuel J. Tilden in 1876. Roosevelt was the last sitting governor to be elected president until Bill Clinton in 1992. Hoover became the first incumbent president to lose an election to another term since William Howard Taft in 1912, the last to do so until Gerald Ford lost 44 years later, and the last elected incumbent president to do so until Jimmy Carter lost 48 years later. The election marked the effective end of the Fourth Party System, which had been dominated by Republicans. It was the first time since 1916 that a Democrat was elected president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 Republican National Convention</span> American political convention

The 1928 Republican National Convention was held at Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri, from June 12 to June 15, 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Herbert Hoover</span> U.S. presidential administration from 1929 to 1933

Herbert Hoover's tenure as the 31st president of the United States began on his inauguration on March 4, 1929, and ended on March 4, 1933. Hoover, a Republican, took office after a landslide victory in the 1928 presidential election over Democrat Al Smith of New York. His presidency ended following his landslide defeat in the 1932 presidential election by Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, after one term in office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 United States elections</span>

The 1928 United States elections took place on November 6. In the last election before the start of the Great Depression, the Republican Party retained control of the presidency and bolstered their majority in both chambers of Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 United States elections</span>

The 1920 United States elections was held on November 2. In the aftermath of World War I, the Republican Party re-established the dominant position it lost in the 1910 and 1912 elections. This was the first election after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the constitutional right to vote.

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The following events occurred in November 1928:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 1928</span> Month of 1928

The following events occurred in December 1928:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States presidential visits to Central America</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States presidential visits to South America</span>

Eleven United States presidents and one president-elect have made presidential visits to South America. The first trip was made by Herbert Hoover in 1928. During this tour he delivered twenty-five speeches in ten Central and South American countries, almost all of which stressed his plans to reduce American political and military interference in Latin American affairs. In sum, he pledged that the United States would act as a "good neighbor."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Calvin Coolidge</span> U.S presidential administration from 1923 to 1929

Calvin Coolidge's tenure as the 30th president of the United States began on August 2, 1923, when Coolidge became president upon Warren G. Harding's death, and ended on March 4, 1929. A Republican from Massachusetts, Coolidge had been vice president for 2 years, 151 days when he succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of Harding. Elected to a full four–year term in 1924, Coolidge gained a reputation as a small-government conservative. Coolidge was succeeded by former Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover after the 1928 presidential election.

The presidency of Calvin Coolidge began on August 2, 1923, when Calvin Coolidge became the 30th president of the United States upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding, and ended on March 4, 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council of Administration</span> Executive Council of Uruguay from 1919 to 1933

The National Council of Administration was part of the executive power in Uruguay between 1919 and 1933, ruling alongside the President of the Republic.

The following is a list of important scholarly resources related to Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States. For recent work see Ellis W. Hawley (2018). For older studies see Patrick G. O’Brien and Philip T. Rosen, (1981), 25–42, 83–99 and Patrick G. O’Brien, (1988).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidential transition of Warren G. Harding</span> Transfer of presidential power from Woodrow Wilson to Warren G. Harding

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign policy of Herbert Hoover</span>

Foreign policy of Herbert Hoover covers the international activities and policies of Herbert Hoover for his entire career, with emphasis to his roles from 1914 to 1933.

References

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  10. "Viva Hoover! The 1928 Good Will Tour". National Archives. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  11. "Herbert Hoover: Foreign Affairs". millercenter.org. Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  12. "Travels of President Herbert C. Hoover". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  13. Deconde, Alexander (March 1950). "Herbert Hoover's Good Will Tour". Historian. 12 (2): 167–181. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.1950.tb00106.x.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Schwartz, Thomas (6 November 2019). "The Purpose of Hoover's 1928 Goodwill Tour – Hoover Heads". hoover.blogs.archives.gov. Herbert Hoover Library and Museum. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  15. "The Museum Exhibit Galleries, Gallery 5: The Logical Candidate, The President-Elect". West Branch, Iowa: Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hoover, Herbert (1974). "Supplement IV - Addresses During a Trip to Central and South America". Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Herbert Hoover. Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. pp. 615–642. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Jeansonne 2012, pp. 44–45.
  18. Cohen, Alex (November 29, 1928). "Don Cleto Gonzales Viquez, President of Costa Rica, in welcoming President Elect Herbert C. Hoover today, made the following address: Our Love OF U. S. Great, Message from Costa Rica". Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 2. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  19. DeConde, Alexander (1951). Herbert Hoover's Latin-American Policy. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 36. ISBN   9780804713436 . Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  20. Kinsley, Philip (December 15, 1928). "Silent Hoover Wins Argentine Man of Silence: President Irigoyen Made Friend of U. S." Chicago Daily Tribune . p. 1. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  21. "Good Will Tour Success, Hoover Wires Coolidge: Uses Direct Cable Line from Buenos Aires". Chicago Daily Tribune . December 16, 1928. p. 3. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  22. "Hoover Enters Home Waters; Begins Packing: Expected in U. S. at 8 A. M. Sunday". Chicago Daily Tribune . January 4, 1929. p. 21. Retrieved May 20, 2016.