Profile of the Day: Herbert Hoover

President Herbert Hoover

On this day in 1930, construction began on the Hoover Dam. For five years, over 21,000 men worked to produce what would be the largest dam of its time and one of the largest manmade structures in the world.

The idea of the dam had been around for many decades. While serving as Secretary of Commerce in 1921, Herbert Hoover devoted much of his time to the creation of a dam in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. However, it wasn’t until he was elected to the Presidency that the idea would become a reality. Eight months into his Presidency, the stock market crash of 1929 plunged the nation into the Great Depression. Hoover sought to combat the Depression with volunteer efforts and public works projects, such as the Hoover Dam.

Thousands of unemployed workers made their way to southern Nevada in the hopes of working on the project. The dam was completed two years ahead of schedule and millions of dollars under budget. Today, it is the second highest dam in the country and generates enough energy to power over a million homes.

Have you visited the Hoover Dam?
 

View Herbert Hoover’s Geni Profile