who was president during the great depression

February 12, 2026

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the main U.S. president associated with leading the country through the Great Depression, but Herbert Hoover was president when it began.

Quick Scoop: Who was president?

Herbert Hoover was president when the stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression began (he served from 1929 to 1933).

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) took office in March 1933, at the “depth” of the Great Depression, and is most remembered for leading the U.S. through it with his New Deal programs.

If you’re answering this in a quiz or quick trivia context, the expected answer is usually Franklin D. Roosevelt , because he is the president most directly credited with guiding the U.S. through the crisis and implementing the New Deal.

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