American President Herbert Hoover was educated as an engineer and enjoyed a successful career in this field. During World War I, he gained international recognition for heading relief operations. From 1921 to 1928, he served as Secretary of Commerce and in 1928, was elected US President, on a platform of continued prosperity to be assured by the Republicans. When the Depression hit, Hoover proved ineffectual in dealing with this economic crisis, and lost his bid for re-election to Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. Bibliography: Burner, David. Herbert Hoover: A Public Life. New York: Knopf. 1979. Hinshaw, David. Herbert Hoover: American Quaker. New York. Farrar, Strauss & Co. 1950. Lyons, Eugene. Herbert Hoover:A Biography. New York. Doubleday, 1964. Nash, George H. The Life of Herbert Hoover: The Engineer. New York: Norton. 1973. Smith, Richard Norton. An Uncommon Man: The Triumph of Herbert Hoover. New York. Simon and Shuster. 1984.