<Ul> <Li> Mining engineer </Li> <Li> Civil engineer </Li> <Li> Businessman </Li> <Li> Humanitarian </Li> </Ul> <Tr> <Th> Signature </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874--October 20, 1964) was an American engineer, businessman and politician who served as the 31st President of the United States from 1929 to 1933 during the Great Depression . A Republican, as Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s he introduced themes of efficiency in the business community and provided government support for standardization, efficiency and international trade . As president from 1929 to 1933, his domestic programs were overshadowed by the onset of the Great Depression . Hoover was defeated in a landslide election in 1932 by Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt . After this loss, Hoover became staunchly conservative, and advocated against Roosevelt's New Deal policies . </P> <P> A lifelong Quaker, he became a successful mining engineer with a global perspective . He built an international reputation as a humanitarian by leading international relief efforts in Belgium during World War I, 1914 - 1917 . When the U.S. entered the war in 1917 he became "food czar" as head of the U.S. Food Administration with charge of much of the nation's food supply and a massive advertising campaign to help consumers adjust and save . He worked well with President Woodrow Wilson and the cabinet, and gained a large national audience . After the war, he led the American Relief Administration, which provided food to the inhabitants of Central Europe and Eastern Europe . Hoover was a popular among progressives as a potential candidate in the 1920 presidential election, but his candidacy quickly petered out . Republican Warren G. Harding won and appointed Hoover as Secretary of Commerce . Hoover was an unusually active and visible cabinet member, becoming known as "Secretary of Commerce and Under - Secretary of all other departments ." Hoover won the Republican nomination in 1928, and defeated Democrat Al Smith in a landslide . Hoover avoided the anti-Catholicism that hurt Smith, but in a time of peace and prosperity his success was highly likely . </P>

Who was the 31st president of the united states of america