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SECRET SERVICE HISTORY - BEGINNINGS
Timeline | Beginnings | Expansion | Today
The Investigative Mission
At the close of the Civil War, between one-third and one-half of all U.S. paper currency
in circulation was counterfeit. On July 5, 1865, the Secret Service was created as a bureau
under the Department of the Treasury to combat this threat to the nation's economy. In
less than a decade, counterfeiting was sharply reduced.
During its early years, the Secret Service investigated many cases unrelated to
counterfeiting. These cases included the Teapot Dome oil scandals, the Ku Klux Klan,
Government land frauds, and counterespionage activity during the Spanish-American War
and World War I. As other federal law enforcement agencies were created, the
investigative jurisdiction of the Secret Service became limited to Treasury-related crimes.
The Protective Mission
In 1901, President William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, New York. He was the
third President killed in 36 years, and the public demanded protection for U.S.
Presidents. As a result, Congress directed the Secret Service to protect the new President,
Theodore Roosevelt. In 1906, Congress enacted legislation making presidential protection a
permanent Secret Service responsibility.
Protective responsibilities expanded greatly since that time, and the Secret Service
completed a number of temporary protective duties. These assignments included providing
security for the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Gutenberg Bible,
and other valuable documents during World War II; providing protection for a number of
foreign leaders who visited the U.S. during World War II; and providing protection for
Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" while on exhibit in the United States.
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