--- title: "This future President and First Lady fought with US troops in China" date: "2019-01-28" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/this-future-president-and-first-lady-fought-with-us-troops-in-china/" categories: - "History" tags: - "China" --- # This future President and First Lady fought with US troops in China ![]() When you think of badass U.S. Presidents, you likely aren't thinking of Herbert Hoover. In fact, he's probably very low on your list of presidential badassery, right there with James Buchanan, Millard Fillmore, and Chester A. Arthur. --- But what if you saw him and his wife fighting with the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry, his wife brandishing a .38 Smith Wesson, to fight Chinese rebels trying to murder tons of foreigners? ![]() *Better start packing heat if you want to be top FLOTUS, Melania. Lou Henry Hoover don't play.* Before he became President of the United States, Hoover was the general manager for the Chinese Engineering and Mining Corporation. He and his wife lived in China around the turn of the 20th Century and was generally well-regarded by the Chinese for his progressive views regarding their treatment. ![]() But the Boxer Rebellion soon broke out in 1900, a semi-spiritual effort to rid China of foreigners, often by ridding their heads of their bodies. It spread from sporadic acts of violence against Western influence to a full-on peasant uprising. That's when the Chinese Empress Dowager Tsu'u Hzi *declared war on all foreign nations at the same time*. Good call, lady. The powers allied against China included France, Germany, the British Empire, the United States, Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Japan, who mobilized a multi-national force (called the [Eight-Nation Alliance]()) to protect foreign interests and recuse the besieged foreign legations and citizens around the country. The Hoovers were in Tianjin, and they were ready for the Boxers. ![]() *I told you, Lou Henry Hoover does not f\*ck around.* For a month, Hoover and his wife – along with the rest of the city – resisted the siege of Tianjin. Future First Lady of the United States, Lou Henry Hoover, defended herself with a Smith Wesson .38 caliber pistol while traveling from the battlefield to the hospital. ![]() Initially, the Hoovers enlisted the 800 other Westerners and Chinese Christians (also a target of the Boxers) to maintain a defense of the west end of Tianjin. They reinforced the area with bags of grain and sugar [while arming U.S. Marines]() and sailors who happened to be there. Hoover was known to have [rescued Chinese children caught in the crossfire]() during the street-to-street fighting. Both Hoovers did duty manning the barricades. It's not known if the Hoovers — devout pacifist Quakers — actually killed anyone, but they did keep the Boxers from doing it. ![]() *Scenes like this don't happen when there are Hoovers around.* The beginning of the end came as the multinational relief column — including the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Regiment, to this day known as the "Manchus" — arrived in Tianjin. Hoover himself led U.S. Marines, along with columns of British, French, and Japanese troops around the city. His knowledge of the area and its terrain was critical to their success there. Later, biographer David Bruner recalled Mrs. Hoover's account of her time in his book, *[Herber Hoover: A Public Life]().* She said she "had a splendid time during the Boxer Rebellion and would not have missed it for anything." Tianjin was the bloodiest battle of the entire Boxer Rebellion. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()