Herbert Hoover won the presidential election of 1928. He was the 31st president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1929, to March 4, 1933. Hoover was in office during the first years of the Great Depression, which began in October 1929. The Depression was the worst economic crisis in the history of the United States. It caused widespread unemployment, poverty, and homelessness. Hoover's policies were largely unsuccessful in addressing the crisis, and he was defeated in the 1932 presidential election by Franklin D. Roosevelt.