The 31st President of the United States was Herbert Hoover. He was a Republican politician who served as the 31st President from 1929 to 1933. He was born in West Branch, Iowa and was a successful mining engineer before entering politics. He was Secretary of Commerce under Presidents Harding and Coolidge and was elected President in 1928. During his presidency, he was faced with the Great Depression and was unable to turn the economy around. He lost the 1932 election to Franklin D. Roosevelt.