In defense of Herbert Hoover, he wasn't a terrible president. The chaos caused by market speculation was out of his control. It's always possible to point out something that someone could have done differently in hindsight. More than anything, he was made into a scapegoat for problems that were caused by others.

As an engineer president, Hoover did a decent job. I don't think that a stock market crash is any proof that engineers don't make good politicians.