I . Herbert Hoover
(1874–1964)
the 31st US President (1929–33) and a member of the Republican Party. He had earlier been the US Secretary of Commerce (1921–9). A year after he became President, the Great Depression began and people blamed him because his government failed to stop it. Franklin D Roosevelt defeated him in the 1932 election. After World War II Hoover directed the European Food program.
II . J Edgar Hoover
( John Edgar Hoover 1895–1972)
the head of the FBI (1924–1972), who made it into a successful and scientific national police organization. He had great power and public support, and no president tried to replace him. He was suspected of keeping illegal personal files on many people and his role during the McCarthy (II) era has been criticized.