This synonym for prosperity is often attributed to Herbert Hoover, and it
was indeed a Republican campaign slogan during the election of 1932, a
ridiculous one that helped the Democrats more than the Republicans with
the Great Depression gripping the land. Some sources credit the words to
Scottish author Alexander Smith, who in 1863 wrote that if the world were
ruled by the best men of letters, ignorance would die, war would cease,
taxation would be lightened, and "not only every Frenchman, but every man
in the world would have his hen in the pot." Smith, however, was clearly
referring to Henry IV of France and his vow on being crowned king in 1589:
"If God grants me the usual length of life, I hope to make France so
prosperous that every peasant will have a chicken in his pot on Sunday."
Henry, assassinated in 1610 when only fifty-seven, wasn"t able to provide
such prosperity.