When Herbert Hoover was born, his father who was a blacksmith, told one of the customers, "We have another General Grant at our house." At that time Ulysses S. Grant was President, and the blacksmith meant to say jokingly that some day Herbert would be President. Little did he know, of course, that his prophesy would come true.

Herbert Hoover's parents were Quakers, who lived in a small village in Iowa. As a small boy, he learned to live frugally and developed many principles of conduct, which he never forgot. He was a serious but happy boy, whom everyone called Bert.

Unfortunately when Bert was still young, both his father and mother died. Then he went to live with an uncle on an Iowa farm, where he helped to work in the fields and to do the morning and evening chores. This uncle gave him a good home.

When he was partly grown, another uncle, a brilliant physician in Oregon, invited him to come to live with him and to attend a private Quaker school. Bert accepted and a few years later enrolled at Stanford University, a new school in central California, where he took training to become a mining engineer.

How young Hoover worked his way through Stanford, how he obtained his first job as a laborer in a mine, and how he rose swiftly, but not without difficulty, from lowly beginnings to the top of his profession—all these the author Mildred Comfort, portrays delightfully in her book.

As a mining engineer Hoover had phenomenal success. He worked hard, demonstrated unusual foresight, showed consideration for others, and became widely respected. Furthermore, he never failed to reveal that he possessed the staunch conscience of a Quaker.

Hoover was not content merely to earn money and to accumulate wealth. He felt there was far greater satisfaction in doing good for others. During World War I, he demonstrated his humanitarian spirit by helping Belgium and other devastated countries of Europe secure adequate food. This was a gigantic undertaking that saved many lives.

Following World War I, Hoover devoted his life almost exclusively to public service. First he became Secretary of Commerce, then was elected President. After he left the Presidency, he lived on for thirty-one years and became a beloved elder statesman. During this time, he made many contributions, demonstrating his dedication to others.

From the dust jacket