The President Who Chose Principles Over Popularity

In 1928, after years of Republican success in the presidential races, Americans would see yet another triumphant win against the Democrats. Herbert Hoover would be elected as the 31^st President of the United States in a landslide against Al Smith, who was known for his Catholicism and anti-prohibitionist stance. But just four years later, the opposite would occur: Hoover would be defeated in a landslide by Franklin D. Roosevelt, winning a similar margin as Hoover did when he was first elected President. You might remember a few of the details of the Hoover presidency from history class, but most people forget his importance and jump straight to the policies of the New Deal during the Great Depression.

To start, Hoover was a humanitarian who had helped his country and the world in many ways. He had organized food relief programs during World War I, helped Chinese citizens during the Boxer Rebellion, and even headed the US Food Administration. He was a shining example of integrity, a person who aspired to live by the beliefs he held about the world. Hoover’s central belief was American Individualism, the idea that America’s strength came from a balance between personal freedom and voluntary cooperation. For Hoover, the greatness of our country was found in people helping other people. If you were a business, a non-profit, or a neighbor down the street, you had a duty to help people around you.

Herbert Hoover deeply believed that providing government relief directly to people was a problem because it risked dependency on the government. Instead, he believed in helping institutions, such as public works programs and banks, which would trickle down and help the economy. In fact, many of the federal programs Hoover established that helped the U.S. during the Great Depression were built upon in FDR’s New Deal. The difference is that Roosevelt believed in providing federal aid directly to people, while Hoover stood firm on the idea that direct aid was something that local governments and charities should handle. After all, if problems differ locally, wouldn’t you want to adjust the way you solve the problem in different local areas?

Whether you support Hoover or Roosevelt’s way of thinking doesn’t actually matter. Those are issues that will continue to cause political disagreement for years to come, and the most important takeaway is that Hoover did actually help the American people. He took steps, albeit less dramatic than FDR did in the Great Depression, to help the United States population. The Hoover Dam itself is one of the most important public works projects in history, and stands as a testament to the President and people who worked on it. To be fair to critics, he did have some glowing disappointments in his presidency, and many historians argue that what he did was too little and too late to limit the severity of the Great Depression. But what might be considered Hoover’s greatest weakness could also be his greatest strength, and provides a great life lesson for all of us: he did not abandon his principles for popularity. True to what he believed, Hoover stood firm in his beliefs about the world, even when other people didn’t like them.

How many politicians or celebrities do you know like Herbert Hoover today? I can’t remember many recent examples on either aisle that stayed true to their core belief, even when most people fundamentally disagreed. While Hoover might have struggled to connect emotionally to the American people, his actions were strong. He did the right thing in many respects, and our view of him is unfortunately a result of some terrible public relations and a once in a lifetime economic downturn.

Hoover is a testament to the idea of having principles. You have to have something you live by, or else you live by nothing and fall for everything. To go around without a moral compass is to follow other people’s path, and will ultimately create discontentment in your own life because you realize you are not being true to yourself. Find your principles, and stand firm on them. Have the integrity to withstand the pressure of life, even when people disagree with you, and you might not be popular, but you’ll have character – and character counts most.