How did President Hoover learn to speak Mandarin?

Herbert Hoover actually learned Mandarin when he was working in Tianjin, China as a mining engineer. The following blog by Michael Hurwitz provides interesting information on Hoover's route of learning Mandarin. read more

The following blog by Michael Hurwitz provides interesting information on Hoover's route of learning Mandarin."After graduating [from Stanford], Hoover moved to Australia to work for a mining company, and after several years of searching for gold mines there he moved on to China, settling in for a stint in Tianjin (天津) in 1899. read more

In order to be a president, you need to be in the CCP. The language of communication and patronage in the CCP is Mandarin. It is like asking if a non-English speaking American can ever be the POTUS. read more

John Adams, the second president of the United States, learned to read Latin at a young age. In preparation for attending Harvard University, Adams attended a school for improving his Latin skills. While posted in France, Adams became fluent in French. read more

Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Hoover, once translated a book from Latin to English. The pair took five years, and sacrificed much of their spare time, to translating the Latin mining tract De re metallica. read more