Herbert T. Hoover, historian of the Great Plains and Indian-white relations, died on March 21, 2019 in Elk Point, South Dakota. He was 89.

Born at home in Wabasha County, Minnesota in 1930, Hoover was raised in Millville, Minnesota. He served as a Hospital Corpsman with the First Marine Division in the Korean war and returned to study at the University of Minnesota before transferring to New Mexico State University.

In 1966, Hoover earned his PhD in history from the University of Oklahoma, then began his work as a Professor of History at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He had been Professor Emeritus since 2007. Instrumental in the development of both, Hoover at various times directed both the South Dakota Oral History Center and the Indian Studies Program at USD. He directed The Newberry Library Center for the History of the American Indian from 1981 to 1983.

Over his career, he served in professional organizations such as the Western History Association and the Wabasha County Historical Society. He was honored to have been appointed to numerous public service organizations, from the Fairview Township Board of Supervisors to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The author of many books, book chapters, and articles, he may be best known for To Be An Indian and A New History of South Dakota. In journal & magazine articles, Hoover never wavered from his interests in the humanities, intercultural processes, the northern Great Plains, and education—especially Indigenous education. Over his forty years of teaching, he mentored many students and advised on many dissertations; he was named Professor of the Year at USD in 2003.

On many occasions, he gave testimony as an expert witness for Tribal and public interests in federal court. He was a not-half-bad photographer and also worked on a handful of documentary films, such as Health Care Crisis On Rosebud , in capacities such as historical consultant, script writer, and interview subject. In his lifetime, he wrote over three-hundred reviews of newly published books in the field of Western history. He was devoted to and active in family & community life, and his work was an extension of those commitments.

Preceded in death by his daughter Kathleen Renee Hoover, his brother Norman, his sisters Janice and Beryl, and his parents Bessie and Clyde Hoover, Herbert T. Hoover is survived by his children Christopher and Carmen, and grandchildren Astrid and Vincent. Also still living is the mother of his children, Karolyn Hoover.

A brief service will be held at the Black Hills National Cemetery on Monday, June 24 at 11 a.m.