When Herbert Hoover was mentioned, many people thought of the dam he built. But during World War I, Hoover, then a mining engineer, had helped 120,000 penniless Americans stranded in Europe return home, and served as chairman of the American Relief Committee in London.
Afterward, Hoover provided relief to American expatriates in Belgium and France. When that work ended in 1919, both Hoover and the American Relief Committee became the focus of public attention. Because of his outstanding efforts amid war and famine, he was once called "the Great Humanitarian."
The problem of Americans wasting food was already known throughout the world. After Hoover was recalled to Washington, he was appointed head of the Food Administration and granted broad authority over America's food supply. He encouraged voluntary measures rather than enforced rationing, successfully reducing domestic food waste and ensuring supplies for the Entente Powers. Even housewives knew that "Hooverizing" meant the most economical household meal planning.
After World War I ended, Europe was filled with starving people, with shortages of food and money everywhere. Hoover's Relief and Reconstruction Administration earned him a reputation in Europe as a "philanthropic businessman."
So Hoover tried to involve charitable organizations fully in the "compound republic." The concept had been proposed by James Madison, who believed that giving the poor a comfortable life could play an important role in offsetting "the evils of faction."
During Hoover's tenure as Secretary of Commerce, he often sought professional support from charitable foundations when formulating plans. Even when dealing with the Mississippi River floods, he organized the Red Cross, community welfare foundations, and other public charitable organizations to coordinate the distribution of relief supplies. Yet during these experiments, a lasting debate arose over what role philanthropy should play in national affairs—for example, whether charitable organizations should participate in the