Herbert Hoover came from quite a humble background. Orphaned at a young age, he had to make his own way in the world. His formative experiences inculcated Hoover with a firm belief in what he would later call "rugged individualism," and which would form the corner-stone of his entire political philosophy.
Hoover believed that if people worked hard and practiced self-reliance then they could make a success of their lives. Instead of looking to the government for hand-outs, they should always endeavor to provide for themselves and their families. After all, that's what Hoover had done himself. Rising from humble origins, he had become a wealthy and successful mining engineer. Initially, he started out working for established companies, but he eventually hired himself out as an independent consultant, advising mining companies on how best to turn around failing mines. Through lucrative consultancy work and wise investments, Hoover was able to amass a huge fortune by the age of forty, something like $100 million in today's money.
No comments:
Post a Comment