Timeline of Our History
1865
The Secret Service Division was formed on July 5, 1865 as part of the Department of the Treasury. Chief William P. Wood was sworn in as the first Secret Service chief (now known as “director”) by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch.
1867
Secret Service responsibilities broadened to include "detecting persons perpetrating frauds against the government." This appropriation resulted in investigations into the Ku Klux Klan, nonconforming distillers, smugglers, mail robbers, land frauds and a number of other infractions against federal laws.
1870
Secret Service headquarters relocated from Washington, D.C., to New York City. The headquarters returned to Washington four years later.
1874
The first U.S. Secret Service commission book was issued.
1875
A new badge was adopted.
1877
Congress passed legislation prohibiting the counterfeiting of any coin, gold or silver bar.
1882
Congress officially acknowledged the Secret Service as a distinct organization within the Treasury Department. However, it was still dependent upon the annual appropriations and the availability of funds, since no enabling legislation existed. (This did not change until July 16, 1951.)
1894
The Secret Service began informal part-time protection of President Cleveland.
1895
Congress passed legislation prohibiting the counterfeiting or possession of counterfeit stamps.
1901
As a result of the assassination of President William McKinley, Congress requested Secret Service protection of U.S. presidents.
1902
The Secret Service assumed full-time responsibility for protection of the President. At this time, only two men were assigned full-time to the White House Detail.
1906
Congress passed the Sundry Civil Expenses Act for 1907, which provided funds for presidential protection by the Secret Service.
1906
Secret Service operatives began to investigate western land frauds. The Secret Service's investigation returned millions of acres of land to the government. Operative Joseph A. Walker was murdered on November 3, 1907, while working on such a case.
1908
The Secret Service began providing protection for the President-elect.
1913
Congress authorized permanent protection of the President and statutory authorization for President-elect protection. (Treasury Department Appropriations Act of 1913)
1915
President Wilson directed the Secretary of the Treasury to have the Secret Service investigate foreign espionage in the United States.
1917
Congress authorized protection for the President's immediate family. (Treasury
Department Appropriations Act of 1917)1917
Congress enacted legislation making it a crime to threaten the President by mail or by any other manner.
1922
The White House Police Force (present-day Uniformed Division) was created at the request of President Warren G. Harding. At this time, the Police Force was under the daily supervision of the President's military aide, who was also the Director of Public Buildings.
1930
President Hoover placed the White House Police Force under the supervision of the Secret Service. (Public Law 71-221)
1933
An assassination attempt was made on President-elect Franklin Roosevelt in Miami, Florida, on February 15.
1936
Secret Service “operatives” were now referred to as “agents.”
1937
Treasury Guard Force (later renamed the Treasury Police Force) came under the supervision of the Secret Service.
1950
Private Leslie Coffelt, White House Police, was shot and killed by two Puerto Rican nationalists while protecting President Truman at the Blair House on
November 1, 1950.1951
Triggered by the attack on President Truman, Congress enacted legislation that permanently authorized Secret Service protection of the President, his immediate family, the President-elect and the Vice President (if he wished). (Public Law 82-79)
1953
The first formal Special Agent Training School was held. The three-week course covered investigative and protective responsibilities of agents in the 1950s.
1962
Congress expanded coverage to include the Vice President (or the next officer to succeed the President) without requiring his request for protection, the Vice President-elect and, at his request, the former President for a reasonable period of time (approximately six months). (Public Law 87-829)
1963
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.
1963
Congress passed legislation for protection of Mrs. John F. Kennedy and her minor children for two years. (Public Law 83-195)
1965
Congress passed legislation making it a federal crime to attempt to assassinate the
President. (Public Law 89-141)1965
Congress authorized the Secret Service to protect a former President and his wife during his lifetime. Unless declined, protection for the widow and minor children of a former President was extended to four years after the President leaves or dies in office. (Public Law 89-186)
1967
Protection was extended to the widow and minor children of a former President until March 1, 1969 (Mrs. Kennedy and children). (Public Law 90-145)
1968
Congress authorized protection for the widow of a former President until her death or remarriage. Minor children of a former President were granted protection until they reached 16 years of age, unless protection was declined. (Public Law 90-608)
1968
As a result of presidential candidate Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, Congress authorized protection of major presidential and vice presidential candidates and nominees. (Public Law 90-331)
1970
The White House Police Force was renamed the Executive Protective Service and increased its responsibilities to include the protection of diplomatic missions in the Washington, D.C., area. (Public Law 91-217)
1971
Congress authorized Secret Service protection for visiting heads of a foreign state or government, or other officials as directed by the President.
1971
The 60 acres of land purchased by the U.S. government for training facilities in 1967 was turned over exclusively to the Secret Service. It became what is today known as the Secret Service’s James J. Rowley Training Center.
1970
Phyllis Shantz became the first female officer sworn into the Executive Protective Service (modern-day Uniformed Division).
1971
Laurie Anderson, Sue Baker, Kathryn Clark, Holly Hufschmidt and Phyllis Shantz were sworn in as the first five female Special Agents.
1972
An assassination attempt was made on presidential candidate George Wallace in Laurel, Maryland, on May 15, 1972.
1974
Congress authorized protection for the immediate family of the Vice President.
(Public Law 93-552)1975
Assassination attempts were made on the life of President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California, on September 5, 1975, and again on September 22, 1975, in San Francisco, California.
1976
Congress authorized protection for the spouse of a major presidential or vice presidential candidate. (Public Law 94-408)
1977
The Executive Protective Service was officially renamed the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division on November 15, 1977.
1981
An assassination attempt was made on President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981.
1984
All gender-specific references in the federal law authorizing Secret Service protection for the President and Vice President were removed. (Public Law 98-587)
1984
The Credit Card Fraud Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-473) was passed, making certain fraudulent use of credit and debit cards a federal violation. The law also authorized the Secret Service to investigate violations relating to credit and debit card fraud, and federal-interest computer fraud.
1986
The Treasury Police Force merged into the Secret Service Uniformed Division.
1992
The Counterfeit Deterrence Act added language which prohibited the use of "electronic methods" in producing counterfeit currency. (Public Law 102-550)
1994
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 made the counterfeiting of U.S. currency abroad an extraterritorial offense. (Public Law 103-322)
1994
Title 18 USC Section 470 provided that any person manufacturing, trafficking in, or possessing U.S. currency abroad may be prosecuted as if the act was committed in the U.S.
1994
Congress enacted legislation requiring that Presidents in office prior to
January 1, 1997, will continue to receive Secret Service protection for their lifetime. Presidents elected to office after that time will receive protection for 10 years after leaving office. (Public Law 103-329)1995
On April 19, 1995, the Murrah Federal Building containing the Oklahoma City Field Office was destroyed by a bomb. Six Secret Service personnel were among the 168 killed.
1995
May 19, 1995, Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin signed Treasury Order Number 170-09 prohibiting vehicular traffic on sections of Pennsylvania Avenue and certain other streets adjacent to the White House. The Secretary delegated to the Director of the Secret Service, the authority to carry out such closings.
1996
The Secret Service was given authority by Section 648(b) of Public Law 104-208 to investigate offenses for the production, sale, transportation and /or possession of fictitious financial instruments purporting to be those of the United States, a foreign government, a state or other political subdivisions of the United States.
1998
The Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Act (Public Law 105-184) was passed, which allows for criminal forfeiture of fraud proceeds for convictions of violations of 18 U.S.C. Sections 1028, 1029, 1341, 1343 or 1344, or of a conspiracy to commit such an offense, if the offense involved telemarketing.
1998
The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (Public Law 105-318) was passed, which amends 18 U.S.C. Section 1028 to establish the offense of “Identity Theft.” Penalties are established for anyone who knowingly transfers or uses, without authority, any means of identification of another person, with the intent to commit or to aid someone to commit an unlawful activity that is a violation of the identity theft provisions of section 1028.
1999
The United States Secret Service Memorial Headquarters Building was dedicated in Washington, D.C. For the first time, the agency had its own building with headquarters personnel housed under one roof. Previously, the agency had rented office space in buildings throughout the Washington, D.C., area.
2000
The Presidential Threat Protection Act (Public Law 106-544) was passed, which clarifies and extends the Secret Service’s authority to investigate threats to active and former protectees, and to participate in the planning, coordination and implementation of security operations at National Special Security Events. In addition, it gives the Secret Service limited administrative subpoena power for use in protective intelligence investigations when a threat to a protectee is determined to be imminent.
2001
Amidst the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Craig J. Miller of the Secret Service was one of the more than 2,800 people who were killed. At the time, the Secret Service’s New York Field Office was housed in Building 7 of the World Trade Center and collapsed as a result of the attacks in New York.
2001
In October of 2001, President Bush signed into law H.R. 3162, the USA PATRIOT Act. In response to this legislative mandate, the Director of the Secret Service designated eight major metropolitan areas, where assets and resources were directed, establishing a network of regional Electronic Crimes Task Forces (ECTFs) across the United States.
2002
The Department of Homeland Security was established with the passage of Public Law 107-296.
2003
On March 1, 2003, the Secret Service was transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the new Department of Homeland Security. Recognized for the Secret Service’s central role in the protection of both the nation’s leaders and the financial and critical infrastructure of the United States, the Secret Service contributes to the Department of Homeland Security’s common mission of protecting the American people from harm.
2004
Barbara Riggs, a veteran agent of the Secret Service, became the first woman in the agency’s history to be named Deputy Director.
2006
The network of Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Forces expanded from 15 to 24 nationwide task forces dedicated to fighting high-tech, computer-based crimes through successful public-private partnerships.
2007
Protection began for presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama in May, the earliest initiation of Secret Service protection for any candidate in history. Presidential candidate New York Senator Hillary Clinton already received protection before she entered the race due to her status as former first lady.
2008 - The Secret Service marked five years under the Department of Homeland Security. Since 2003, the Secret Service made nearly 29,000 criminal arrests for counterfeiting, cyber investigations and other financial crimes, 98% of which resulted in convictions, and seized more than $295 million in counterfeit currency. The Secret Service investigated and closed financial crimes cases where actual loss amounted to $3.7 billion and prevented a potential loss of more than $12 billion.
2008
Congress passed legislation (H.R. 5938); the “Former Vice President Protection Act of 2008,” which authorized Secret Service protection for former Vice Presidents, their spouses and their children less than 16 years of age for up to six months after the Vice President’s term in office has ended.
2009
The 56th Presidential Inauguration was the largest and most complex event ever overseen by the Secret Service. In all, five separate National Special Security Events were associated with the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, and the Secret Service oversaw the implementation of the security plan for each of them.
2009
The Secret Service established its first overseas Electronic Crimes Task Force (ECTF) in Rome, Italy. This network of public-private partnerships is dedicated to fight high-tech, computer-based crimes.
2010
The Uniformed Division Modernization Act (Public Law 111-282), signed into law on October 15, 2010, ensures that Uniformed Division personnel are equally compensated for their work and allows greater flexibility in hiring personnel at higher levels based on their law enforcement experience and qualifications.
2013
The Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012, reverses a previous law that limited Secret Service protection for former presidents and their families to 10 years if they served after 1997. Former President George W. Bush and future former presidents will receive Secret Service protection for the rest of their lives. Children of former presidents up to the age of 16 are assured protection under the new law.
2013
Julia A. Pierson was sworn in as the 23rd Director of the United States Secret Service on March 27, 2013. Ms. Pierson is the first female Director of the agency.
2015
Joseph P. Clancy was appointed as the 24th Director of the United States Secret Service on February 18, 2015.
2017
Randolph D. “Tex” Alles was appointed as the 25th Director of the United States Secret Service on April 25, 2017.
2019
James M. Murray was appointed as the 26th Director of the Service.