Herbert Hoover
Mining engineer (future US President)
"We built our barricades of sacks of rice and sugar, and waited for the guns."
Biography
The future 31st President of the United States was a 25-year-old mining engineer working in Tientsin when the Boxer crisis erupted and trapped the foreign community in the settlement. Hoover threw himself into organising the defence, helping build barricades, direct the distribution of food, and coordinate the care of Chinese refugees during the fighting for the city. His wife Lou, a fellow Stanford graduate, worked in the improvised hospitals and reportedly cycled through the streets under fire. The experience of the siege of Tientsin left a lasting mark on Hoover, who would later become famous for organising humanitarian relief on a vast scale during and after the First World War before winning the presidency in 1928.
Did you know?
He and his wife Lou had learned Mandarin in China, and reportedly spoke it to each other in the White House decades later when they wished to foil eavesdroppers.
Key Battles
Battle of Tientsin
Eight-Nation Alliance victoryJuly 13–14, 1900 · 2,500 total casualties
The capture of Tientsin cleared the way to the capital and assembled the international relief army; it was also marked by widespread looting and violence against Chinese civilians that foreshadowed the sack of Peking.
Life Journey
Timeline
August 10, 1874
🌅 Birth
Born in West Branch, Iowa
July 1900
⚔️ Battle
Helps organise the defence of Tientsin
October 20, 1964
✝️ Death
Dies in New York; had served as US President