Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), the 31st President of the United States, was in kinship care as a child with a maternal uncle after his mother died when he was 9 (his father had died when Herbert was 6). Hoover was one of the first students at the new Stanford University where he studied geology and mechanical engineering, and met his wife. Hoover worked in the mining industry for the British company Bewick, Moreing until he developed his own consultancy business. By the time Hoover was elected President he had considerable public credibility because of his war time efforts in WW1 when he headed an international food program for Belgium and back home in the States where he directed a government agency responsible for organising the nation's food. Hoover was also a prolific writer, beginning with a textbook on mining and going on to writing three volumes of an autobiography as well eight volumes in his Addresses Upon the American Road series.