Herbert Hoover (1874–1964), a Stanford-educated mining engineer, spearheaded relief and reconstruction efforts following World War I and proved an effective secretary of commerce (1921–1929) under Harding and Coolidge. He easily won the Republican presidential nomination in 1928, and defeated Democratic candidate Alfred E. Smith in the election. His administration, however, was marred by the stock market crash of October 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression. In 1932, when some 15,000 ex-...