Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-09-15
Ir,oin Hoover, Friend of Ten
Presidents, Dies Suddenly
Chief Usher At White
House ~ Years Victim
of Heart attack.
President and Mrs. ROOse'
velt Viii attend Flu.
neral Tomorrow.

neral i OnlOTrO1C.
President and Mrs Roosevelt will at
tend the funeral of Irwin H. Hoover
for ~ years chief usher at the White
House, who died suddenly of a heart
attack last night at his home, II Rhode
Island avenue northeast, it was an
nounced today.
Although President Roosevelt offered
the use of the Executive Mansion fol-
the services, which will be held at 2
pm tomorrow, members Of Mr.. Hoover's
family declined with thanks. The rites
will be held, they said. in the chapel
Julien E. Yates. head of the Army
Chaplin Corps. officiating. The chapel
they explained, Is more convenient.
President Roosevelt, the members Of
his cabinet and his secretary, Louis M
Howe, will serve as the honorary pail
bearers at the funeral.
News of the death Of Mr.. Hoover
affectionately known as Ike" to 10
Presidents. and their families. was q
shock to the Chief Executive and men,
bers of the White House staff.
Left Office Few Hours Before.
Only a few hours before. Mr. Hoover
who would have been So on October
"a. had waved a genial goodbye to his
associates as he left his little Office In
the Executive Mansion As always
he had appeared friendly and light
hearted
The President and the First Lady
will be accompanied to the funeral by
their son James, it was stated. Mrs
Roosevelt Is returning from a camping
trip to the Adirondack Mountains ant
James is coming back from Boston te
attend the services.
As soon as word OF Mr.. Hoover'f
death reached the White House, the
Chief Executive telegraphed the new.
to Mr.. and Mrs. Herbert Hoover in Pale
Alto. Calf. Other messages were sent
to Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt. widow oil
the former President; Mrs. Thomas
Preston. formerly Mrs Grover Cleve-
land; Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Mrs. vii.
liam Howard Taft. Mrs Calvin Coolidge
and Mrs. BENJAMIN Harrison. ali Of
whom once lived at the White House.
Came to White House in 1891.
1t was during the latter part of the
Harrison administration. May g. 1891
that Mr.. Hoover first came to the White
House. He was employed by Arm tina,
had the contract to install those new
tangled electric lights in the presi-
Dental home. When this work va,
completed. the electric push button.
were out of order so frequently tina,
President Harrison thought it best tc
have the young electrician become ar
employe at the White House From that
obscure part Mr. Hoover rose in useful
l.
head usher and major domo.
President Roosevelt was deeply touch.
ed by news of Mr.. Hoover's death. al
Of our family are deeply distressed" hi
said. He termed his passing q tire
mendous personal loss"
The Nation. too" Mr. Roosevelt
said, has lost true and faithful pub
lie servant. who during every admin.
istration since that of President Har-
rison has given Of his best to his Gov
eminent"
President Is Saddened.
President Roosevelt first knew Mr.
Hoover during the administration OF
President Theodore Roosevelt. his kins.
! man and wtfe's uncle. When he be
came Assistant Secretary OF the Navy
these early associations were more FIRE
I Quently IeneWeO.
Saddened by his death. the Presi
dent spoke of him as follows:
AS young man, during the admin
| istration of President Theodore Roose
welt, 1t was my good fortune to know
! Ike Hoover.
1T was Ike Hoover who met me a
| the door when came into the Whit,
House as my home. 1t was good to re
ceive his welcome and during thes,
months to have his help and devotion
| in our of11cial and family life. II
| common with all others who knew him
| his passing Is a tremendous persona
lossr
The sincerity and loyalty" Of Mr.
| Hoover were qualities recalled by tn,
only living former President. Herber
| Hoover when he received Mr.. Roose
velt's message last night.
In a brief statement from his home
| in California, the former Presiden
said:
Irwin Ike Hoover served as tn,
real steward of the White House TO
nearly 40 years with a faithfulness t,
each succeeding administration that
won him an unique devotion of ever,
President His sincerity and loyalt!
has never been exceeded by any Gov
eminent Official"
Example Of Solicitude.
Only yesterday, Mr.. Hoover had givel
| an example of his solicitude for mem
bers Of the White House Correspondents
Association in the recent death o
John Edwin Nevin, one of its veteran
members. He had placed a Whit
| House automobile at the disposal o
| representatives of the association VIII
| were to attend Mr. Nevin's funera
| today. He also had arranged for flower
for the funeral from the White House
| During his brief visit to the pres
room on this mission Mr. Hoover ha,
exchanged "reminiscences with some o
the older reporters.
! He spoke of President Cleveland an
his pretty young bride. He recalled
| how President Mckinley dressed formal
ly on all occasions, with long coat
tails full as skirts. And Theodor
| Roosevelt. he said, usually appeared a
well-turned-out as in the John SINCE
Sargent portrait in the hall.
He told how he himself used to wea
the spiked tails all day long, unit
President Taft brought a business
coated era into the White House.
With a whimsical laugh. he admitte
eAAoe VAIN Ia ASoo JuSI UclOIC NIL al
was inaugurated. he had purchased
brand-new formal swallow-tail Goa
| which he had never worn.
He said he had had that coat eve
since. never got any use out Of it. ant
couldn't use it now except for a fame.
dress ball.
He had told his wife, he said, tina
he was going to be buried in it. Eacl
Summer it had been carefully put Int
! mothballs, and each Fall carefully aired
Refused to Write Memoirs.
Ike Hoover will be remembered as
man who might have collected hug
sums for his memoirs, but who valued
his friendships more than money" HI
was talking of that yesterday, too. whel
the old question was put:
like, why don't you write you
memoirs?"
He recalled how he had been aske'
to write OF White House romances. par
ticularly that Of President Wilson
There are those who would have paid
large sum for the inside story" Of HOY