Irwin "Ike" H. Hoover
| Irwin Hood Hoover | |
|---|---|
Ike Hoover in 1922
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| 3rd White House Chief Usher | |
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In office 1909–1933 |
|
| President |
William Howard Taft Woodrow Wilson Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover |
| Preceded by | Thomas E. Stone |
| Succeeded by | Raymond Muir |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 24, 1871 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | September 14, 1933 (aged 61) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
Irwin Hood Hoover, (October 24, 1871 – September 14, 1933), also known as "Ike," served as the White House Chief Usher from 1909 to 1933. He served in the White House for 42 years and as Usher for 29 years, and both records remain unbroken as of 2016.
Irwin "Ike" Hoover was born in Washington, D.C., the son of a grocer.
His first job was as a telephone operator, but he later became an electrician. He became an employee of the Edison Electric Company, and was sent to the White House on May 6, 1891, to install the first electric lights and an electric bell system in the executive mansion. At the time, no private building in the city had electricity, and the only government-owned building which did was the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. President Benjamin Harrison and his family considered electricity dangerous, and no one in the Harrison family would even turn a light switch for fear of electrocution. On May 15, when Hoover finished the installation, he was asked by President Harrison to leave Edison Electric and join the White House staff as an electrician. Hoover agreed. For the next several years, Hoover's job was to turn lights on and off throughout the day, and to assist the family in using the bell system (which they were also afraid of). As the Harrisons and other presidential families became less fearful of electricity, Hoover's job was to keep the system working and to install new electrical wiring and appliances as needed.
In 1904, Hoover accepted a position as an usher at the White House. The White House had asked him to act as temporary usher on several previous occasions, so the promotion was not as unusual as it might seem. Hoover was appointed Chief Usher by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. (Hoover and Roosevelt were already well-acquainted with one another, as Roosevelt had served on the United States Civil Service Commission during the Harrison administration and had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley.)
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