Hoover, Herbert Clark: Post-Presidency and the Hoover Commissions

Except for major speeches before the Republican conventions and a 1938 European tour, Hoover largely retired from public life until the close of World War II. He was publicly critical of Roosevelt's New Deal. Though he was not an isolationist, he opposed intervention in European affairs, and believed Hitler would make war with the Soviet Union, leaving Great Britain and continental Europe alone. He later also strongly disagreed with Roosevelt's alliance with Stalin. After the war he undertook (1946) the coordination of food supplies to countries badly affected by the fighting. He then headed (1947–49) the Hoover Commission, a committee empowered by Congress to study the executive branch of government. Many of its recommendations were adopted, including establishment of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Under President Eisenhower he headed the second Hoover Commission (1953–55), which made recommendations on policy as well as organization. The Herbert Hoover Library was dedicated at West Branch, Iowa, in 1962. Hoover died on Oct. 20, 1964, in New York City.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Post-Presidency and the Hoover Commissions
• Presidency
• Wartime Relief Efforts
• Bibliography

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