Herbert Hoover marries Lou Henry in Monterey

Background. During his senior year at Stanford, Hoover became smitten with his classmate Lou Henry, though his finances precluded marriage at the time. Lou Henry, daughter of a Monterey, California banker, studied geology at Stanford, where she met fellow geology student Herbert Hoover. After a promotion in 1898, Hoover cabled a marriage proposal; she accepted, and he returned to the United States for their wedding.

Marriage. The wedding took place on February 10, 1899, at the Henrys' home in Monterey, California. The ceremony was a civil one performed by a Spanish Roman Catholic priest, as Lou Henry intended to change her faith to Quakerism but no Quaker Meeting existed in Monterey.

Departure for China. The couple traveled to China after the wedding. Hoover had been hired as chief engineer of the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company. Upon arriving in China with his bride, Hoover developed gold mines near Tianjin on behalf of Bewick and the Chinese-owned Chinese Engineering and Mining Company.

Religious Context. Lou Henry announced her intention to change her religious faith from Episcopalian to her husband's Quaker religion. However, there was no Quaker Meeting in Monterey, so the marriage was conducted as a civil ceremony by a Spanish Roman Catholic priest.