In this March 4, 1929 file photo, troops in the inaugural parade pass President Herbert Hoover's reviewing stand in Washington. (AP/File)
 

Best known for presiding over the stock market crash of 1929, Hoover came to office with credentials as a successful self-made man. The son of a blacksmith and a seamstress, Hoover studied engineering at Stanford University .After graduation he made a fortune as an international mining engineer and financier.While president, he donated his salary to charity.