LogFAQs > #896406147

Bloodychess posted...

Hoover did nothing wrong

Well, there was the whole Bonus Army thing, where American military units commanded by Douglas MacArthur literally attacked a (peaceful) encampment of WW1 vets and their families. Hoover basically either ordered it, or let MacArthur get away with murder and brutality. A really bad look, no matter how you slice it.
He does get too much blame for the Depression though. It happened practically as soon as he took office, and, contrary to popular belief, he did try to alleviate it. Ineffectually, of course, but then, that's more a reflection of the limited understanding of economics of the time and less an indictment of Hoover and his administration. FDR was actually a lot less keen on taking decisive action to bolster the economy than is popularly believed, and was deeply concerned with the growing deficit and debt(which led to him curtailing the New Deal in 1936, likely prolonging the Great Depression). He didn't start tilting social democratic until the war.
Lastly, Hoover had a well-earned reputation as a skilled administrator and humanitarian(he ran a huge food aid network for Europe in the aftermath of the first World War) and remained a notable figure in the Republican Party into the '60s(IIRC, he spoke at the 1964 convention).