In Yamhill County, many citizens know Herbert Hoover as the U.S. president who lived in Newberg during his coming-of-age years. That home he lived in — now a museum — stands as a testament to that chapter of Hoover’s life.
Outside of our county, Hoover is mostly known to Americans for his four-year term as president during the Great Depression. But in Europe, he is most remembered for something else.
Several streets, plazas and public squares in those countries bear the name of the American who saved the lives of millions of people during and after World War I.
When the Great War began in 1914, Hoover was a successful international mining engineer, consultant and businessman who happened to be living in London at the time. He was a 39-year-old millionaire with offices all over the world.
Knowing of Hoover’s strong organizational skills, the American Consul in London asked for his help in getting panicked Americans back to their homeland. Hoover and his wife, Lou, did help.
In fact, they were so successful that Hoover was asked by Europeans to assist with a much larger task: coordinating food relief for the country of Belgium who had just been invaded by Germany and had their food supply cut off due to a blockade.