National Archives and Records Administration
	Stanford University
	Based on The Life of Herbert Hoover: The Engineer, 1874-1914 by George H. Nash, published by W.W. Norton & Company, 1983 In 1888, Herbert Hoover moved to Salem, Oregon, with his Uncle John Minthorn's family. Hoover, despite being only 14 years old, went to work for the Oregon Land Company instead of returning to school. The neglect of formal high school classwork, however, left Hoover unprepared for college. Hoover attended a night school that helped with his office work skills but did little for college preparation. Nonetheless, a number of people inspired him to go to college. His brother Tad elected to return to Iowa to attend a Quaker institution, William Penn College. Hoover's Presbyterian Sunday schoolteacher, Miss Jennie Gray, helped instill in Hoover a love of books and an awareness of the unexplored world around Salem. A chance encounter with an eastern visitor to the Oregon Land Company sparked an interest in mining. This visitor stressed the importance of university training for this profession. In the summer of 1891, Stanford University was nearing completion. Scores of laborers hastened to complete the structures before the students—no one knew how many— arrived. Housing was scarce, and the few roads through the campus were dusty and primitive. The nearest villages were Menlo Park and Mayfield; the city of Palo Alto did not yet exist. It's no wonder skeptics scoffed at the thought of a university located amidst the stables and vineyards under the hot California sun. Dr. Joseph Swain, a mathematics professor, came to Portland to recruit students and supervise entrance exams. Hoover initially was not qualified to enter Stanford, a reflection of his lack of a formal high school education. However, Dr. Swain was impressed by Hoover's character and astuteness and encouraged him to come to Stanford for the summer to study and to retake the exams. In the short time before school opened, Hoover was tutored by Misses Fletcher and Pearson. In exchange for his board and the tutors' coaching, Hoover took care of their horses. When examination day came, Hoover successfully met the entrance requirements in arithmetic, elementary algebra, plane geometry, geography, and American history. Discovering that he needed to elect another subject in which to be tested, he chose physiology, studied for a night, and passed. The English language test, however, was too formidable; in this subject he was "conditioned." But his objective had been attained: he was permitted to enroll in Stanford, with the stipulation that he remove this "condition" before graduation. A few days before Stanford opened, Hoover and his friend Fred Williams were assigned to the men's dormitory, Encina Hall, the first Stanford students to occupy rooms in this building. On October 1, 1891, Leland Stanford Junior University formally opened before a large and expectant throng of people. More than 400 students registered that day. A total of 559 students, mostly freshmen and mostly Californians, enrolled at Stanford University during its formative year, thereby rendering it at once the largest academic institution in California. For a few days the nearly 300 male students of the Encina dormitory had to use candles until electricity could be installed. Hot water was not provided until late October. Because the kitchen at Roble Hall, the women's dormitory, was not yet finished, the coeds (or "angels," as they were called) were obliged to take their meals temporarily in the dining hall at Encina. All was excitement during these first few months. Not without reason did the Class of 1895 become known as the "Pioneers." Although Stanford University did not charge tuition, board at Encina Hall cost $20.00 per month, a considerable sum at a time when student workers were paid around 15 cents an hour. Hoover had no cushion of parental wealth to support him—only the $822.67 that Lawrie Tatum (the guardian of the Hoover children after their parents died) protected back in Iowa. With board, books, clothing, and sundry other expenses piling up, this reserve would not last very long. It would be necessary for Hoover to work his way through college. With the help of Professor Swain, Hoover secured a temporary job as a clerk in the Registrar's office. For much of the ensuing year he continued to care for the horses at Adelante Villa. During his freshman year he also delivered newspapers on campus and served as agent for a nearby laundry, using as transportation a discarded old bicycle that he had repaired. At first he collected the laundry and distributed the clean clothing himself. Later he sublet the business and kept the accounts. From these two activities Hoover derived a small but steady income. After Professor Branner joined the faculty of Stanford as the new head of geology, Hoover obtained employment as his office assistant, a position he held for most of his undergraduate career. During his freshman year, Hoover, one of the youngest in his class, made relatively little impression on those around him, except for one characteristic repeatedly noticed by acquaintances: his shy, abrupt taciturnity. When students came to the Branners home for evening receptions, Hoover "usually sat back in the corner and listened. He rarely spoke and always seemed to be a little ill at ease." In the second semester of his freshman year, Hoover contracted measles, the effects of which compelled him to wear glasses during much of his remaining time at college. By far the most spectacular athletic event of the spring was the first football game between Stanford and the University of California, played in San Francisco on March 19, 1892. Ten thousand fans gathered on the Haight Street grounds for the "Big Game" between the team from Berkeley and the Stanford "kidlets," as their opponents called the upstart challengers. At first the game was delayed for an hour because no one had remembered to bring a football. When, to general astonishment, the inexperienced "kidlets" actually won the contest 14—10, bedlam reigned among the Stanford supporters. Hoover was there. Later that spring Professor Branner offered Hoover a summer job. One of the most eminent geologists of his day, Branner was still serving as director of the Geological Survey of Arkansas. He arranged for Hoover to work as an assistant on the survey with one of Branner's graduate students, John Fletcher Newsom, at a salary of $40.00 a month. Hoover eagerly accepted; the job meant practical experience in the field. In the summer of 1892, Hoover rode on horseback and tramped through the woods and ravines of northern Arkansas, mapping geological formations on the slopes of the Ozark Mountains. Newsom was impressed by Hoover's energy, efficiency, and capacity for work. The dramatic events of Hoover's junior year, however, did not occur in the classroom. In 1893 and 1894 the Stanford campus was in foment, divided between fraternity and nonfraternity students. In its very first year, Stanford University witnessed the introduction of Greek-letter fraternities, whose domination of student affairs increasingly irritated some of the "barbarians," or "barbs," as the nonfraternity students were called. Furthermore, despite the existence of a student constitution and officers, little system or financial accountability prevailed in the management of student activities. To the restless "barbs" the situation was intolerable, and so a reform movement commenced. A new student constitution was adopted and the stage was set for the election of officers. On April 18, Election Day, 686 students, 85% of the electorate, cast ballots. The vote was close and, for most of the major offices, inconclusive. No one had attained a majority; a runoff would be necessary. Another week of frenzy and calculation followed. Hoover and his colleagues methodically compiled lists of voters and delegated their lieutenants to solicit the support of coeds, every constituency, and every vote. No resource was overlooked. During the tumult President Jordan was heard to wonder aloud whether he was "presiding over a young Tammany Hall." And when the votes were cast and counted on April 24, the "Three H" ticket won—Hinsdale, Hoover, and Hicks. That night they celebrated in the barbs' stronghold in the Encina dorm. So packed was the room that the victors, carrying boxes of cigars in each hand, had to be lifted and passed overhead to a spot near the window. As the Daily Palo Alto reported, cigars and lemonade were "freely dispensed" to the exultant crowd. In mid-April Hoover was appointed an assistant on the United States Geological Survey for the coming vacation. Most likely Professor Branner helped Hoover obtain a summer job with Dr. Waldemar Lindgren, one of the outstanding geologists in the United States. Hoover set out alone on foot for the riverboats at Stockton, more than 80 miles away. On July 1, 1894, having joined Lindgren in the mountains, Hoover officially became an employee of the United States Geological Survey. They headed for the High Sierra southwest of Lake Tahoe. Here, in the Pyramid Peak district, Hoover spent the rest of the summer assisting Lindgren in studying glaciation and in mapping the Pyramid Peak sheet. Hoover was learning a great deal, "getting a whole jug full of experience," and pleasing Dr. Lindgren, besides. "Never have I had a more satisfactory assistant," Lindgren declared in later life. The geologist was struck by Hoover's eagerness to learn, his precision in recording his data, and his "keen instinct" for solving problems in the simplest manner. At first Hoover received $20.00 a month as the geologist's assistant; later Lindgren raised it to $30.00 for each of the final two months of the expedition. As it turned out, Hoover did not return to the campus until October 14, more than five weeks late. Stanford University had grown substantially in three years; in 1894—95 its enrollment exceeded 1,000. Self-confident and determined, Hoover, now treasurer of the student community, concentrated on his new duties. Instituting a voucher system that he had learned while assisting Dr. Lindgren, Hoover strove to establish efficiency where chaos had previously reigned. According to Lawrie Tatum's 1894 report to the court back in Iowa, Hoover was "frugal, industrious, and energetic." These were precisely the qualities he now showed. Hoover soon let it be known that from now on, any expenditure must be justified, and any disbursement must be documented. Such a response was unlikely to win many friends. But Hoover was not interested in popularity. He wanted order and influence. Throughout the fall and winter months of 1894—95, Hoover arranged to pay off accumulated liabilities of $1200 and to rationalize student finances. Often his balance sheets and reports appeared on the front page of the Daily Palo Alto. The system that Hoover inaugurated remained virtually unchanged for years. In early fall of 1894, an unexpected influence entered Hoover's life: a freshman named Lou Henry who enrolled in the geology program at Stanford. It was unusual for a woman to enter this field of study. The more he became acquainted with her in laboratory work, field trips, and social gatherings, the more impressed he became. By the second semester Herbert and Lou were more than casual friends. Hoover had become a big man on campus. In January 1895, he again was elected president of the geology club. That month he left campus to finish geological survey work undone from the previous semester. He was in the middle of reforming the management of the campus co-op, all this in addition to his class treasurer and sports management duties. Football "absorbs everything—all my time," he wrote to a friend in November. Frequently he traveled off-campus. He accompanied the football team on some of its trips, made arrangements for the "Big Game" against Berkeley at Thanksgiving, and even went to Los Angeles at Christmas for the football contests against the University of Chicago and another club. Because Hoover received no salary as treasurer, it was necessary to scrape up an income from other sources. By the beginning of Hoover's senior year, Lawrie Tatum's guardianship fund had diminished to a mere $12.74. During his senior year, Hoover undoubtedly earned some money as Professor Branner's assistant. A campus lecture and concert bureau that he and some other friends operated also helped to tide him over. As a consequence, Hoover received no credit for the fall semester of 1894, a failure in German and a conditional in three other subjects. In addition, Dr. Branner issued Hoover a stern rebuke for paying too much attention to extracurricular activity. Hoover corrected his deficiencies by some hard application to a heavy course load in the spring semester, which enabled him to graduate on time. His few surviving letters from this period reveal a good-humored, active personality. If not naturally gregarious, he nevertheless impressed many friends. According to Irwin, Hoover participated willingly in his share of the "rushes," practical jokes, and pranks of the high-spirited student community. Behind the mask, in fact, was a clever mind. One night he and some friends decided to race around the oval track in the darkness to determine who was the fastest. When the contest was over, Hoover had easily won. His friends were amazed. Back in the dorm he cheerfully divulged the secret of his success. At the start he had deliberately dropped behind, crossed the infield, and placidly waited at the finish line. His comrades gleefully rewarded his "victory" by throwing him in the shower. But that he was able, resourceful, and ambitious, no one denied. "Do your work so that they notice it and be on the job all the time." It was this quality that had first impressed Dr. Branner about his young office assistant: when he asked Hoover to accomplish something, Hoover did so quickly and quietly, without fuss and bother. "It was characteristic of him," Branner once remarked, "that when a task was set before him he took off his coat, fixed his whole attention on the task in hand, and went at it, and did it." Stanford University had done a lot for Herbert Hoover. It had inculcated in him a spirit of adventurousness, resourcefulness, and buoyant idealism, a spirit that fit well with his determination to succeed. It had reinforced, in secular terms, the lessons of his Quaker relatives: that one should live productively, that life is meant for accomplishment, that one ought to do "conscientious work." To the assembled Pioneers of the class of '95 at commencement, President David Starr Jordan invoked such themes. Men and women, he said, "are judged by achievements, not by dreams. . . . The highest value of tradition lies in the making of it; the noblest wealth is the wealth of promise. . . . In helpfulness alone can wealth or power find consecration." For at least one senior in the audience, the message had enduring impact. Above all, Stanford University had offered the Iowa-born orphan an opportunity, a gift he never forgot. In that self-reliant, pioneering community, Hoover grew and thrived and found warmth. It was an exhilarating environment, and it made an indelible imprint. For the rest of his life, wherever he roamed or resided, Stanford University was his home.
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