# Did J. Edgar Hoover have African-American Ancestry? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026 "2011-11-15T17:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/1 "2011-11-15T17:56:16Z")
Looking at photos of him when he was [young](http://www.google.com/search?q=young%20j%20edgar%20hoover&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=558&sei=_6TCTtmJCYa4twfCxry3DQ), it struck me that he showed characteristics of being mixed – wiry, wavy hair, broad nose, shallow-set eyes/rounder as opposed to squarish eye sockets, etc. --Not that that being mixed is a bad thing, of course. However, one can’t ignore how that might have played into his deep racism. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/2 "2011-11-15T18:25:06Z")
Funny, he kind of looks like Obama in some of those pictures. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/3 "2011-11-15T18:54:05Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Funny, he kind of looks like Obama in some of those pictures. maybe his folks were from Kansas too. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/4 "2011-11-15T19:07:16Z")
I have no idea, but [here’s](http://american_almanac.tripod.com/hoover.htm) some interesting reading. I thought that that was a long-standing suspicion, and apparently it is. And, since Obama’s name has been brought up, maybe there is something to it–J. Edgar’s birth certificate didn’t show up until many years later(according to this article). Coincidence??? I think not! ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/5 "2011-11-15T19:46:35Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I have no idea, but [here’s](http://american_almanac.tripod.com/hoover.htm) some interesting reading. I thought that that was a long-standing suspicion, and apparently it is. And, since Obama’s name has been brought up, maybe there is something to it–J. Edgar’s birth certificate didn’t show up until many years later(according to this article). Coincidence??? I think not! Hmmm… I concur, that _ **is** _ very interesting! :eek: I’ve always heard about the rumors/assumptions that ol’ JEH was secretly, uh, well… \ ‘different’, so to speak. Sounds like he may have been ‘different’, in more ways than one! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/6 "2011-11-15T21:11:41Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Hmmm… I concur, that _ **is** _ very interesting! :eek: > > I’ve always heard about the rumors/assumptions that ol’ JEH was secretly, uh, well… \ ‘different’, so to speak. Sounds like he may have been ‘different’, in more ways than one! 😉 Interesting..the link talks about JEH’s having the FBI agents bug MLK’s hotel rooms (and making recordings). Kinda nprofessional. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/7 "2011-11-15T21:21:02Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Interesting..the link talks about JEH’s having the FBI agents bug MLK’s hotel rooms (and making recordings). > Kinda nprofessional. “Kinda unprofessional”?! That’s like saying water is ‘kinda’ wet! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/8 "2011-11-15T21:27:25Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > “Kinda unprofessional”?! That’s like saying water is ‘kinda’ wet! :smack: But then again, Hoover pretty much created that profession. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/9 "2011-11-16T00:19:29Z")
Others have suggested it in the past. Obviously there is no evidence except the look in photos. If someone had a hair sample I suppose DNA testing could be done. But what would it prove? It wouldn’t even prove that Hoover knew of his ancestry. I’ve always thought that Hoover and Babe Ruth looked to have African ancestry. I seem to recall that Ty Cobb would not shake Ruth’s hand because he believe that and was deeply racist. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/10 "2011-11-16T00:45:41Z")
Yes, Ruth’s nickname was “Niggerlips.” But as far as I know, his ancestry was 100% German. I’ve never heard that Cobb refused to shake Ruth’s hand because he actually believed him to be black, and I don’t believe it. I know Cobb was very racist, but I don’t think he really thought Ruth was black. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/11 "2011-11-16T02:35:28Z")
After reading the link in **Earl Snake-Hips Tucker’s** post, I think they really do need to confirm that Hoover was passing as a white man. Because that would be some wild-ass craziness right there, if it were true. I would certainly watch _that_ movie. Hoover, as a young man, looked very much like my brother does. It’s probably lucky for him that he never had children. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/12 "2011-11-16T02:41:42Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I have no idea, but [here’s](http://american_almanac.tripod.com/hoover.htm) some interesting reading. I thought that that was a long-standing suspicion, and apparently it is. And, since Obama’s name has been brought up, maybe there is something to it–J. Edgar’s birth certificate didn’t show up until many years later(according to this article). Coincidence??? I think not! What’s next? Does the ‘J’ stand for Jamal? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/13 "2011-11-16T02:45:18Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Yes, Ruth’s nickname was “Niggerlips.” But as far as I know, his ancestry was 100% German. I’ve never heard that Cobb refused to shake Ruth’s hand because he actually believed him to be black, and I don’t believe it. I know Cobb was very racist, but I don’t think he really thought Ruth was black. I want to make clear that I’ve heard the Cobb/Ruth thing as an anecdote, and don’t have a cite for it. That said, Cobb was a horrible bigot and horse’s ass. No offense to horses. Okay, I’ve looked it up and it is not true. [Babe Ruth & Ty Cobb Shaking Hands Photo Print for Sale](http://www.mcmahanphoto.com/lc243.html) I withdraw the “gossip”. Shame on me. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/14 "2011-11-16T22:09:26Z")
J. Edgar and the Babe weren’t the only prominent men of that era to be the subject of such gossip. See the paragraph beginning, “For any politician not relying on immigrant or Catholic votes…”: [Was Warren Harding inducted into the KKK while president? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2229/was-warren-harding-inducted-into-the-kkk-while-president) ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/15 "2011-11-17T14:54:51Z")
In one of the pictures he’s looking at a girl in a dress, and I’ll just bet that he’s thinking “I’ve got a dress like that !”. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/16 "2011-11-17T15:27:11Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > In one of the pictures he’s looking at a girl in a dress, and I’ll just bet that he’s thinking “I’ve got a dress like that !”. Speaking of which, isn’t the transvestite rumor just that, an unproven slur against someone who was fun to smear–and of course, \*everyone \*hates transvestites, so what could be funnier than that? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/17 "2011-11-17T15:31:08Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Speaking of which, isn’t the transvestite rumor just that, an unproven slur against someone who was fun to smear–and of course, \*everyone \*hates transvestites, so what could be funnier than that? Yes. All trace back to a single allegation by an unreliable witness. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/18 "2011-11-17T16:25:53Z")
There are some pretty well substantiated rumors that one US president had Black ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/19 "2011-11-17T18:45:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There are some pretty well substantiated rumors that one US president had Black ancestry. I thought Franklin Pierce finally proved she wasn’t? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026/20 "2011-11-18T02:21:54Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There are some pretty well substantiated rumors that one US president had Black ancestry. Linnks? Cites? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-j-edgar-hoover-have-african-american-ancestry/603026.md?page=2)