When thinking about prominent women on coins, you have to include First Ladies. It only makes sense given their role to one of the most important and powerful positions that are held in this country: the President of the United States. While not every First Lady will make the list, our next entry in the 100 Greatest Women On Coins series features one that is lesser known than others. However, her impact on the office and her story in general gave her a spot in the Whitman Publishing publication.
#99 - Lou Hoover
Born Lou Henry to Charles Henry and Florence Weed in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1874, her adolescent days featured hunting, camping, taxidermy, horse riding, and geology. While attending Stanford University years later in 1894, she became the first female geology student. At Stanford she would eventually meet a mining engineer by the name of Herbert Hoover. Sharing numerous interests, they would marry after her graduation and move to China where they would travel throughout the country far and wide. Her time in China would also allow her to become fluent in the Chinese language.
Before taking on her role as First Lady, Lou was a large part of war relief efforts led by her husband from 1914 to 1917 in Belgium. She was also active in the Girl Scouts as she was the president from 1922 to 1925. After becoming First Lady, she included activism as part of her already social duties required by the president’s wife. She pushed the Girl Scouts to include relief efforts in addition to participating in relief efforts during the Great Depression.
Lou Hoover appears on a United States Mint struck $10 gold coin as part of the First Spouse coin series. Dated 2014, she also appears on the First Spouse bronze medal that correlates with the gold coin series. The obverse of the coin features her portrait while the reverse depicts a radio that Americans used in 1929 to receive the first ever public address made by a First Lady.
Collecting difficulty for the gold First Spouse coin is easy according to author Ron Guth. The related bronze medal is also easy. However, the gold coin can get expensive as it contains a half ounce of .9999 fine gold.