2019.001.023 [Sculpture]

This is a bronze sculpture of former First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. The sculpture is part of a series of public art sculptures at the Lou Henry Hoover Sculpture Park in Waterloo, Iowa. The park was dedicated in 2017 to memorialize the life of Hoover, as she grew up in Waterloo in her youth. She was born in 1874 in Waterloo before moving to California some years later. While in California, she attended the San Jose Normal School for a degree in education and went on to study geology at Stanford University, where she was the only female in her major. It was during her time at Stanford that she met her future husband; the two were married in 1898 in her parents' home in Monterey, California. Lou Henry traveled with Herbert Hoover to China, where she learned to speak Mandarin Chinese, making her the only First Lady to date that has been fluent in an Asian language. She was also versed in Latin and helped translate a "De Re Metallica," a Medieval text on metallurgy. The two lived in China during the Boxer Rebellion, then returned to the United States to administer relief aid for the Belgian people during World War I. During her time as First Lady of President Hoover's administration, Lou Henry was frequently a guest speaker on national radio and founded the precourser of what would become the presidential retreat of Camp David. She died of a heart attack in New York city in 1944 and was first buried in San Jose, California before being reinterred with her husband upon his death in 1964. She is now laid to rest in Herbert Hoover's home of West Branch, Iowa. This content can be used with the following resources: SS-WH.9-12.26: Iowans Influence World History SS-US.9-12.2: Iowans Influence US History This content can be used to educate students about the unique impacts that an Iowa resident like Lou Henry Hoover made on both US and world history. Her life was distinguished by her dedication to public programs and has left behind an enduring legacy of being a capable and influential woman. Her story can be used to inspire students and inform them about the ways in which important events in history are shaped by women and Iowans alike. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item for any copyright restrictions.