Lou Hoover, First Lady

by Science Source

Title

Lou Hoover, First Lady

Artist

Science Source

Medium

Painting - Photograph

Description

Lou Henry Hoover (March 29, 1874 - January 7, 1944) was the wife of Herbert Hoover and served as First Lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933. Lou grew up something of a tomboy. She was a fine horsewoman; she hunted, and preserved specimens with the skill of a taxidermist; she developed an enthusiasm for rocks, minerals, and mining. In 1894 she enrolled, as the school's only female geology major, at Stanford University, where she met Herbert Hoover. Marrying her engineer husband in 1899, she traveled widely with him, including to Shanghai, China, and became a cultivated scholar and linguist. Lou learned and became proficient in Chinese. In the White House the Hoovers would sometimes converse in Chinese to foil eavesdroppers. To date, she is the only First Lady to speak an Asian language. She was also well versed in Latin; she collaborated with her husband in translating Agricola's De Re Metallica, a 16th century encyclopedia of mining and metallurgy. The Hoover translation was published in 1912, and remains in print today as the standard English translation. The Hoovers had two sons; Herbert Charles and Allan Henry. Lou distinguished herself by becoming the first First Lady to broadcast on a regular basis. Although she did not have her own radio program, she participated as a guest speaker on a number of occasions between 1929 and 1933, often advocating for volunteerism, or discussing the work of the Girl Scouts. She died of a heart attack in 1944 at the age of 69. Painting by Richard Brown, after Philip de Laszlo.

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October 21st, 2016

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