Statue #31: Herbert Hoover

Rapid City, South Dakota

As one of America's least-loved and least-interesting Presidents, Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) presented a double whammy for sculptor James Michael Maher -- especially since Hoover is most strongly identified with the poverty and "Hoovervilles" of the Great Depression. Maher solved the sculptural optics problem by standing the suit-clad Hoover atop a base with two tiny Hoover Dams -- a massive public infrastructure construction begun during his presidency -- and a chaff of wheat representing Hoover's coordination of famine relief to Europe in the aftermath of World War I.

Amazing Arcana of the Presidents

Hoover held the first-ever "video chat" in 1927, an experimental electro-mechanical videophone hookup by Bell Labs between New York City and Washington, DC.

[Discover more fascinating details in the Roadside Presidents iPhone app!]

City of Presidents

Since 2000, Rapid City has commissioned and installed bronze statues of every former U.S. President on its downtown street corners. Visitors are encouraged to take a walking tour of the City of Presidents and inspect the nation's metallic Commanders in Chief. Paper guides are available year-round at the city's main Visitor Center at 512 Main St.