"Farm Relief," a political cartoon concering Herbert Hoover and farm relief. Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 - October 20, 1964) was the 31st President of the United States (1929-1933). Hoover easily won the Republican nomination, despite having no previous elected-office experience. America was prosperous and optimistic at the time, leading to a landslide victory for Hoover over Democrat Al Smith. Hoover, a trained engineer, believed strongly in the Efficiency Movement, the importance of volunteerism and the role of individuals in playing a role in American society and the economy. When the Wall Street Crash of 1929 struck less than eight months after he took office, Hoover tried to combat the ensuing Great Depression with volunteer efforts, public works projects such as the Hoover Dam, and tariffs such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. The consensus among historians is that Hoover's defeat in the 1932 election was caused primarily by failure to end the downward economic spiral. As a result of these factors, Hoover is ranked poorly among US Presidents. Hoover died in 1964 following massive internal bleeding at the age of 90.