“A Woman of Adventure: The Life & Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover,” May 19

Thursday, May 19, 6 p.m.

Presented by the Davenport Public Library

While most of the presentations in the Davenport Public Library's monthly 3rd Thursday at Hoover's Presidential Library & Museum series have focused on former president Herbert Hoover, the series will take an overdue look at the extraordinary contributions of his wife when speaker Annette B. Dunlap, on May 19, delivers her fascinating virtual program A Woman of Adventure: The Life & Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover.

When Lou Henry married Herbert Hoover in February of 1899, she looked forward to a partnership of equality and a life of adventure, given that she could fire a rifle and sit a horse as well as any man. For the first 15 years of married life, Lou globe-trotted with her husband as he pursued a lucrative career in mining engineering and consulting. Over the years, she traveled widely with him, including to Shanghai, China, and became a cultivated scholar and linguist. Lou also made extensive study of languages including Latin, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, German, Italian, and French, and while serving as the First Lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933, she oversaw construction of the presidential retreat at Rapidan Camp in Madison County, Virginia.

Among her many accomplishments, Lou distinguished herself by becoming the first First Lady to conduct radio broadcasts on a regular and nationwide basis. Although she did not have her own radio program and was known to detest the limelight, she participated as a guest speaker on a number of occasions between 1929 and 1933, often advocating for volunteerism, or discussing the work of the Girl Scouts. Being well-versed in Latin, Lou also collaborated with her husband in translating Agricola's De Re Metallica, a 16th-century encyclopedia of mining and metallurgy. The Hoover translation was published in 1912, and remains in print today as the standard English translation. During World War I, she assisted her husband in providing relief for Belgian refugees, and for her work, she was decorated in 1919 by King Albert I of Belgium. Lou was also involved with the American Women's War Relief Fund, which provided ambulances, funded two hospitals and provided economic opportunities for women during World War I.

Although history has long since forgotten the breadth of her achievements, Lou Henry Hoover’s powerful legacy endures, as speaker Annette B. Dunlap will reveal in A Woman of Adventure: The Life & Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. An independent scholar and journalist, Dunlap is the author of Frank: The Story of Frances Folsom Cleveland, America’s Youngest First Lady; The Gambler’s Daughter: A Personal and Social History; and Charles Gates Dawes: A Life.

A Woman of Adventure: The Life & Times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover will be presented on May 19 at 6 p.m., participation in the virtual program is free, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7832 and visiting DavenportLibrary.com.