Hoover and Truman met in Cedar Rapids ahead of 1962 library dedication
The former presidents stayed overnight in the city before traveling to West Branch for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library opening.
Former presidents Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman arrived in Cedar Rapids on August 9, 1962, before heading to West Branch the next day for the dedication of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum on Hoover's 88th birthday.
More than 3,000 people gathered at Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport to welcome them, according to The Gazette archives.
Hoover stayed overnight as a guest at the Brucemore mansion while Truman stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel.
On the morning of August 10, a crowd gathered outside the Roosevelt Hotel. Truman encouraged them to sing “Happy Birthday” to Hoover, The Gazette photo caption records.
“Sing it out,” Truman shouted.
The dedication ceremony in West Branch later that day drew up to 45,000 attendees, with Truman speaking at the event, according to the White House Historical Association.
The visit remains a point of local history for Cedar Rapids and Linn County residents, noted by The History Center curator Tara Templeman in the Gazette account.
Sources
- 1.2 presidents meet in Cedar Rapids — The Gazette
- 2.Establishing the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum — White House Historical Association
- 3.A Timeline of Brucemore — Brucemore
- 4.Address at the Dedication of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library — Herbert Hoover Presidential Foundation
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