He Stuttered As A Child
Photo credit: Bettmann/Contributor, Getty Images
Hoover was close to his mother, who died in 1938 when he was 43 years old. As a young kid, he was very competitive but had a problem with stuttering. As a result, he was known for talking really fast, earning him the nickname “Speed.” In high school, he joined the debate team and argued against a woman’s right to vote and for the death penalty.
The school newspaper labeled him as “cool” and “relentless.” He later worked at the Library of Congress and took school courses with the aim of entering politics. He avoided WWI by taking a position with the Department of Justice.
