Abstract
After the United States joined the war, President Woodrow Wilson named Herbert Hoover as head of the US Food Administration, which was intended to promote food conservation and increase production. Hoover appointed Louisvillian Fred Sackett as federal food administrator for Kentucky. Sackett worked with various individuals and county councils of defense to carry out programs such as “meatless” and “wheatless” days. Housewives were encouraged to use substitutes for scarce food items; children were encouraged to grow school gardens. Sackett handled cases of noncompliance with policies that included having violators donate to the Red Cross–an example of the “voluntary coercion” that occurred during the war. The federal government also created a Fuel Administration, which was headed in Kentucky by Louisville businessman Wiley Bryan. Bryan encouraged people, businesses, and organizations to conserve fuel. He coordinated efforts to increase fuel production, primarily in the coal regions. He tried to ensure an equitable distribution of coal to homes during the shortage that occurred in the record-breaking cold winter of 1917-1918.
Published Version
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