William P. Wood
William Patrick Wood (March 11, 1820 – March 20, 1903) was a colonel in the United States Army and the first Director of the United States Secret Service. He was born to James Wood and Margaret Turner in Alexandria, Virginia.[1]
Wood enlisted in the 3rd Regular Cavalry in the Mexican-American War, leading the C Company under General Samuel Hamilton Walker. Following the war he returned to Washington and married his wife, Harriet Smith.[1] Although raised in the Catholic Church, he became an active leader of the Know-Nothing Party.[1]
In the years leading up to the Civil War, Wood was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of former slaves escape to New England and Canada. Wood led drills in preparation for John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, but ultimately objected to crossing state lines under arms and withdrew from the raid.[1] Following the outbreak of the war, Wood was appointed by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to be superintendent of the military prisons of the District of Columbia, principally the Old Capitol Prison.[1]
After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Wood was summoned back to Washington by an urgent telegram from Edwin Stanton to assist in the investigation. Following this, he was sworn in on July 5, 1865, by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch to head the newly formed Secret Service for four years until he resigned in 1869. He was considered the best in battling financial crime, and within a year of its founding, the Secret Service had arrested over 200 counterfeiters. He died on March 20, 1903, and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Further reading[]
- Davis, Curtis Carroll. "The Craftiest of Men: William P. Wood and the Establishment of the United States Secret Service" (PDF). Maryland Historical Magazine. 83 (Summer 1988): 111–126. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Hulse, Carl (May 29, 2011). "A Forgotten Sleuth is Honored at Last". New York Times. p. A.12. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "Secret Service History". United States Secret Service. U.S. Government. Archived from the original on 19 February 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Reed, Fred L. (September 3, 2009). "So, Who Was Col. William P. Wood, Anyway?". Retrieved 24 March 2015.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Col. Wm. P. Wood Dead". Washington Evening Star. March 21, 1903.
External links[]
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- Directors of the United States Secret Service
- 1820 births
- 1903 deaths
- United States Secret Service agents
- Burials at the Congressional Cemetery