Lincoln and the secret service

[mbgross]

This may be the dumbest question that has ever been put before the symposium, but here goes: I was watching an episode of "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel and they mentioned that Lincoln started the Secret Service. Is that true? I had never heard of that before. Thanks

[L Verge]

I have been told that, on the day he was shot, he authorized the creation of such a branch of service to assist the Treasury Department in tracking down counterfeiters. I don't believe that the Service took on the protective duties as we know them until the late-1800s or early-1900s.

Sorry for the incomplete answer. I used to know the details, but time and my brain marches on.

[Jim Garrett]

The Secret Service was created in 1864, and as Laurie mentions, it started out to thwart counterfeiting. It wouldn't be until two more president were assassinated when they would be assigned to the protection of the president.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Jim, I, too,read that the secret service was created on Apr. 14, 1865 and commissioned on July,5, 1865 as the Secret Service Decision of the Department of Treasury, for the reason you and L Verge mentioned. Recently there was a radio program here (on a reliable radio station) called "The true story" about Good Friday 1865 which told exactly the same.

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...Secret Service DEVISION

[Jim Garrett]

I stand corrected. First chief was William Wood, superintendent of Old Capitol.

[LincolnMan]

The Secret Service was created in 1864, and as Laurie mentions, it started out to thwart counterfeiting. It wouldn't be until two more president were assassinated when they would be assigned to the protection of the president.

Which is an interesting historical fact in light of the old tv series The Wild Wild West (which I loved)- Agents Jim West and Artemis Gordon serve to protect President Grant- an "oops" for sure. Remember the evil Dr. Loveless? I understand Robert Conrad is still alive, but the others are gone.

[RJNorton]

Remember the evil Dr. Loveless?

[RJNorton]

I, too, read that the secret service was created on Apr. 14, 1865.

I have read this, too, but I have never found that Abraham Lincoln had anything to do with this. Although Lincoln did indeed see Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch on April 14, 1865, I cannot find that anything formal such as the start of the Secret Service came out of this. This was a time when Lincoln was totally preoccupied with restoring the nation so it seems extraordinarily unlikely to me that he discussed, in any length, the Secret Service idea with McCulloch. I am not saying it didn't happen, but I have not seen the evidence it did.

IMO, I have wondered if this is one of those "last day embellishments" to make the story of the Lincoln assassination more sensational.

Maybe someone can prove me wrong by citing the evidence this actually happened on April 14, 1865.

[LincolnMan]

Remember the evil Dr. Loveless?

There he is! I've read that the actor who played Dr. Loveless had a very high I.Q.-much like the character he played.

[L Verge]

I searched the Secret Service's website, an article from Time magazine, and the Archives' website. Here's what I came up with as to the creation of the Bureau: Both the Archives and Time magazine say that a commission to deter counterfeiting was created on April 14, 1865, during a meeting between Lincoln and Treasury Secretary McCulloch.

The Secret Service's site and the Archives put the actual work of the Bureau beginning on July 5, 1865, when William Wood was sworn in to head it.

Reference above picture from the Wild Wild West for those of you who have met Yankee Joe: The sheriff to the right of Dr. Loveless as you view the photo very much resembles our Yankee Stumper! It's rather fitting since Joe is a retired State Trooper.

[JMadonna]

Lincoln's secret service actually thwarted the attempt to kidnap Lincolns body from the grave.

[L Verge]

Yes they did, and a great book on this dastardly (and sometimes downright funny) deed is Tom Craughwell's Stealing Mr. Lincoln.

[RJNorton]

The web page here says:

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"On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. He'd die the next morning.

But also on April 14, 1865, Lincoln signed into law a piece of legislation which created the Secret Service -- the law enforcement agency charged with defending the President from, among other things, assassination attempts such as the one that befell Lincoln that evening. Was Lincoln also a victim of bad timing? Perhaps he had ESP? Not really -- rather, it's a strange historical coincidence. While we currently think of the Secret Service as primarily existing to protect the President, that was not its original intent.

During the early to mid-1800s, roughly a third of American money was counterfeit. The solution was something similar to today's approach to large scale problems -- form a commission.

On the urging of Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch, Lincoln did exactly that. The conclusion was to form a federal law enforcement division (at the time, there was no FBI), the "Secret Service Division of the Department of the Treasury." That Division was born just hours before John Wilkes Booth fatally shot the President."

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That article is entitled "Abraham Lincoln Created the Secret Service the Day He Was Shot."

This is what I meant in my comment above. I am not seeing this in my own books such as Reck's book which has a detailed account of Lincoln's last day activities. It's not in Lincoln Day-by-Day. I also cannot find it in McCulloch's memoirs where he discusses April 14. It's not in Sandburg (at least that I can see). Like I say, I am not saying it didn't happen...I just cannot find it anywhere in the books I have.

[J. Beckert]

Reference above picture from the Wild Wild West for those of you who have met Yankee Joe: The sheriff to the right of Dr. Loveless as you view the photo very much resembles our Yankee Stumper!

I guess I do look a little like the Sheriff, Laurie. I've let me hair grow a little longer since I've seen you. Here's a recently picture of me.

[Joe Di Cola]

Remember the evil Dr. Loveless?

There he is! I've read that the actor who played Dr. Loveless had a very high I.Q.-much like the character he played.

The actor was Michael Dunne. He also played a role in the film adaptation of Kathleen Porter's "Ship of Fools."