3932. Forty-Two Years in the White House, by Irwin Hood (Ike) Hoover, Chief Usher (read 9 Sept 2004) Often in books dealing with political history one sees this book cited, so I wanted to read it. The author in 1891 went to the White House to install electric lights--and worked there till he died Sept 14, 1933. This book was put together from his notes for a book after he died. It is crammed with human interest and gossip, though he is pretty respectful of the office of the Presidency, but he does have critical things to say about some of the nine presidents he writes about, especially Hoover and Taft. He seems to have most admired Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, as well as Cleveland. Not a profound book, but full of human interest to anyone enamored by political history; e.g., he is convinced that Coolidge expected and wanted to be drafted to run for president in 1928, despite his laconic statement: I do not choose to run for President in 1928. ( )

This is a very interesting book even if you are not interested in politics, history or our past Presidents. ( )