President Garfield: The Second
Introduction:
President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th, 1865, and his death shocked the nation. However in the year 1881, Garfield was assassinated by another mentally deranged man. This was very interesting to me, as less than 20 years after Lincoln was killed, another soon followed. In today’s time, a president getting assassinated is virtually impossible(in fact I am probably being monitored right now for writing this), but what was the “presidential protection” during the 1880's? This is what I plan to share.
The Secret Service and Chief Wood:
The Secret Service is largely believed to have the sole purpose of protecting elected officials, namely the president, and their family. Former presidents are still under this protection, but the Secret Service also as another purpose. Founded on July 5, 1865, shortly after Lincoln was assassinated, the service was created to prevent the “illegal production of money.” William Wood, a notable Civil War veteran, was appointed as the chief of the newly formed agency. He soon proved his worth, and the service’s headquarters were established in the Department of the Treasury. However, the Secret Service did not begin protecting presidents until after the assassination of Presidents Garfield and McKinley, and would only start protecting presidents after Roosevelt won the office.
Before the Civil War:
Before the Civil War, many presidents were assaulted, received threatening letters, and were not accompanied wherever they went. No secret service had been created, but no presidents had been assassinated. So when Congress passed an act to establish a patrol in the White House to protect the property, many believed it would give protection to the president. It did not, and was mainly an anti-vandalism task force, protecting the White House, instead of our leaders. After Lincoln, no presidential protection was immediately created or improved.
Before the Civil War, many presidents were assaulted, received threatening letters, and were not accompanied wherever they went. No secret service had been created, but no presidents had been assassinated. So when Congress passed an act to establish a patrol in the White House to protect the property, many believed it would give protection to the president. It did not, and was mainly an anti-vandalism task force, protecting the White House, instead of our leaders. After Lincoln, no presidential protection was immediately created or improved.
Post the Civil War:
After the Civil War, the War Department assigned soldiers to guard the president, the White House, and the White House grounds. Policemen in Washington D.C. also continued in aiding the president, but it was not until after Lincoln was assassinated that a Congressional Committee launched an investigation into the protection of the president. The investigation revealed that such a threat to the president was unnecessary, and no further protection was assigned, until the presidency of Roosevelt.
After the Civil War, the War Department assigned soldiers to guard the president, the White House, and the White House grounds. Policemen in Washington D.C. also continued in aiding the president, but it was not until after Lincoln was assassinated that a Congressional Committee launched an investigation into the protection of the president. The investigation revealed that such a threat to the president was unnecessary, and no further protection was assigned, until the presidency of Roosevelt.
Sources:
I really like your connection among the assassinations of the two presidents, and how that lead you to research about the secret service. I think a lot of people don't know about their involvement with the treasury, because generally they are just presented as protecting the presidents. When researching about the secret service, I found this link http://www.secretservice.gov/about/history/events/ that presents a timeline of all the major events in the history of the secret service. One date that interested me was in 1917, Congress made it a crime to threaten the president. This surprised me because of the fact that not until 1917 was it a crime to threaten the president, which is a law that makes a lot of sense.
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