Herbert Hoover held a job as disbursing officer for a Geological Survey party. When a pack mule was found dead, the rules required Hoover and two witnesses to investigate. They found a loose hind shoe in the animal's neck halter and reported that it had broken its neck while scratching its head with a hind foot. The bureau refused to accept the story and fined them $60. From that time Hoover watched mules to later confirm that they could indeed scratch their heads with a hind foot. Herbert Clark Hoover was born in West Branch, Iowa, on 10 August 1874. The Hoovers were Quakers of Swiss origin who emigrated to the US in 1740. Hoover was elected 31st US President in 1928.