William B. Anderson and the Early History of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

With national acclamation, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa, was established in commemoration of the 31st President of the United States. The historic site was integrated to the list of National Historic Landmarks in 1965 after President Hoover’s death, but its history could be traced back to the 1930s when he had just completed his presidency. In past and current scholarly writings regarding the origin of this historic site, researchers emphasize President Hoover and his wife Lou H. Hoover's efforts to initiate the Hoover Birthplace Society, which finally evolved into a unit of historical buildings, a park, and the presidential library. However, the significance of another figure, William B. Anderson, in the evolution of the historic site, has been overlooked for a long time. As President Hoover’s friend and a lifetime resident in West Branch, Anderson dedicated most of his life to the development of the historic site. Presiding over the Herbert Hoover Birthday Society, Herbert Hoover Foundation, Inc., and Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation between the 1930s and 1960s, Anderson succeeded in raising funds for the foundation, reaching out to the local community in West Branch, and, most importantly, promoting the decision of founding the government-sponsored Hoover’s Presidential Library and Museum. Based on archival collections regarding William B. Anderson’s career and life, which are held in the Hoover’s Presidential Library and Museum, University of Iowa Libraries, and the State Historical Society of Iowa, this paper attempts to investigate the forgotten history of his contributions to the historic site in commemoration of President Hoover, which will cast light on the significance of local figures in the formation of presidential librarianship in 20th century American society.