The Davenport Public Library presents “An Audio-Visual Potpourri," -- April 20.
Thursday, April 20, 6 p.m.
Presented by the Davenport Public Library
Presented on April 20 as part of the Davenport Public Library's 3rd Thursday at Hoover's Presidential Library & Museum series, the virtual program An Audio-Visual Potpourri will find Lynn Smith – the audio-visual archivist at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum – showcasing a variety of favorite still images from the venue's collection, sharing Hoover home movies and newsreels, and pointing out a few unusual items from the Hoover archives.
A politician, businessman, and engineer who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933, Hoover preceded his presidential tenure during the Great Depression by leading the Commission for Relief in Belgium, serving as the director of the U.S. Food Administration, and acting as the third U.S. Secretary of Commerce. After losing his bid for president during the 1920 election, newly elected Republican President Warren G. Harding appointed Hoover as Secretary of Commerce, and Hoover continued to serve in that position under President Calvin Coolidge after Harding died in 1923.
An unusually active and visible cabinet member, Hoover became known as “Secretary of Commerce and Under-Secretary of all other departments,” was influential in the development of air travel and radio, and led the federal response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. While Hoover won the Republican nomination in the 1928 presidential election and decisively defeated Democratic candidate Al Smith, the stock market crashed shortly after Hoover took office, and the Great Depression became the central issue of his presidency. Hoover pursued a variety of policies in an attempt to lift the economy, but he was, and remains, a controversial figure for opposing the involvement of the federal government in Depression-era relief efforts.
An Audio-Visual Potpourri will be presented virtually on April 20, participation in the 6 p.m. Zoom event is free, and more information is available by calling (563)326-visiting DavenportLibrary.com.
