Sunday, March 29, 1874. Birth of a Great American, Lou Hoover.

 

Lou Hoover, Herbert Hoover's wife, and a great American in her own right, was born on this day in 1874.

Born in Waterloo, Iowa, just down the highway from Dyersville, where my paternal ancestors were then living, she became fascinated with geology (as I did at a similar age) and attended Standford, where she met geology student Herbert Hoover.  After she graduated, they married in 1899 and then departed for China, after having honeymooned at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which I first saw as a child, as I had relatives native to that state.

She refused to leave her husband, and hence China, during the Boxer Rebellion.  She acted as a nurse, on the front lines, during the incident, surviving direct fire incidents.

She was a substantial human being, the equal of her husband, who was also.

She died, as we've already noted, of a heart attack on January 7, 1944, while staying at the Waldorf Astoria New York.

Related threads:

Friday, January 7, 1944. Lou Henry Hoover passes away.

Last prior edition:

Tuesday, March 24, 1874. Houdini born.