 The Hoover family began living in London in 1902, though they frequently traveled as part of Hoover's career.After 1916, the Hoovers began living in the United States, maintaining homes in Palo Alto, California and Washington, D.C.

World War I broke out in June 1914, pitting the Allied Powers (France, Russia, Britain, and other countries) against the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and other countries).Hoover and other London-based American businessmen established a committee to organize the return of the roughly 100,000 Americans stranded in Europe.