| Director of the United States Secret Service | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Secret Service | |
 Flag of the Secret Service | |
 IncumbentRonald L. Rowe Jr. Acting since July 23, 2024 | |
| United States Secret Service | |
| Reports to | Secretary of Homeland Security |
| Seat | Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | President of the United States Sole decision of the President |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the President |
| Formation | July 5, 1965 (59 years ago) (1965-07-05) |
| First holder | William P. Wood (as chief) |
| Deputy | Vacant |
| Website | www.secretservice.gov |
The director of the United States Secret Service is the head of the United States Secret Service, and is responsible for the day-to-day operations.
The Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The service is mandated by the U.S. Congress to carry out a unique dual mission: safeguarding the financial and critical infrastructure of the United States, and protecting the nation's leaders.
The director is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of, the president of the United States, and is not subject to Senate confirmation. The director reports to the secretary of homeland security, and operates with the general directions thereof. Prior to March 1, 2003, the Secret Service was a part of the United States Department of the Treasury.
History
President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation creating the Secret Service on April 14, 1865, the day of his assassination. It was commissioned on July 5, 1865, in Washington, D.C., as the "Secret Service Division" of the Department of the Treasury. After being appointed by President Andrew Johnson, William P. Wood was sworn in as the first chief of the Secret Service on July 5, 1865, by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch.
When the Secret Service was established, its head was called the chief of the Secret Service. In 1965, the title was changed to the director of the Secret Service, four years into the term of James Joseph Rowley (1961–1973). The longest-serving head of the Secret Service was William H. Moran, who served under five presidents from 1917 to 1936.
On March 27, 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Julia Pierson to be the twenty-third director of the Secret Service. She became the first female director of the agency. On October 1, 2014, the Secret Service leadership changed to Director Joseph Clancy, a retired agent who formerly led the Presidential Protective Division. On March 4, 2017, Director Joseph Clancy retired, leaving the position vacant until a replacement was nominated by President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, William J. Callahan served as acting director of the United States Secret Service from March 4, 2017, to April 25, 2017. Randolph Alles, former acting deputy commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was appointed director by Trump.
List of chiefs and directors
| No. | Picture | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | President appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 | Wood, WilliamWilliam P. Wood (1820–1903) | July 5, 1865 | 1869 | 3–4 years | Johnson, AndrewAndrew Johnson |
| 2 |
 | Whitley, HiramHiram C. Whitley (1834–1919) | 1869 | 1874 | 4–5 years | Grant, UlyssesUlysses S. Grant |
| 3 |
.jpg) | Washburn, ElmerElmer Washburn (1839–1897) | 1874 | 1876 | 1–2 years | Grant, UlyssesUlysses S. Grant |
| 4 |
 | Brooks, JamesJames Brooks (1824–1895) | 1876 | 1888 | 11–12 years | Hayes, RutherfordRutherford B. Hayes |
| 5 |
 | Bell, JohnJohn S. Bell (1844–1917) | 1888 | 1890 | 1–2 years | Cleveland, GroverGrover Cleveland |
| 6 |
 | Drummond, AndrewAndrew L. Drummond (1845–1921) | 1891 | 1894 | 2–3 years | Harrison, BenjaminBenjamin Harrison |
| 7 |
 | Hazen, WilliamWilliam P. Hazen (1840–1923) | 1894 | 1898 | 3–4 years | Cleveland, GroverGrover Cleveland |
| 8 |
 | Wilkie, JohnJohn Wilkie (1860–1934) | 1898 | 1911 | 12–13 years | McKinley, WilliamWilliam McKinley |
| 9 |
.jpg) | Flynn, WilliamWilliam J. Flynn (1867–1928) | 1912 | 1917 | 4–5 years | Taft, WilliamWilliam Howard Taft |
| 10 |
 | Moran, WilliamWilliam H. Moran (1862–1946) | 1917 | 1936 | 18–19 years | Wilson, WoodrowWoodrow Wilson |
| 11 |
 | Wilson, FrankFrank J. Wilson (1887–1970) | 1937 | 1946 | 8–9 years | Roosevelt, FranklinFranklin D. Roosevelt |
| 12 |
 | Maloney, JamesJames J. Maloney (1896–1959) | 1946 | 1948 | 1–2 years | Truman, HarryHarry Truman |
| 13 |
.jpg) | Baughman, UrbanusU. E. Baughman (1905–1978) | November 29, 1948 | August 31, 1961 | 12 years | Truman, HarryHarry Truman |
| 14 |
.jpg) | Rowley, JamesJames Joseph Rowley (1908–1992) | September 1, 1961 | October 1973 | 12 years | Kennedy, JohnJohn F. Kennedy |
| 15 |
.jpg) | Knight, H.H. Stuart Knight (1921–2009) | November 7, 1973 | November 30, 1981 | 8 years | Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon |
| 16 |
.jpg) | Simpson, JohnJohn R. Simpson (1932–2017) | 1981 | 1992 | 10–11 years | Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan |
| 17 |
 | Magaw, JohnJohn Magaw (born 1935) | 1992 | 1993 | 0–1 year(s) | Bush, GeorgeGeorge H. W. Bush |
| 18 |
 | Bowron, EljayEljay B. Bowron (born c. 1951) | 1993 | 1997 | 3–4 years | Clinton, BillBill Clinton |
| 19 |
 | Merletti, LewisLewis C. Merletti (born c. 1948) | June 6, 1997 | March 3, 1999 | 2 years | Clinton, BillBill Clinton |
| 20 |
 | Stafford, BrianBrian L. Stafford (born c. 1959) | March 4, 1999 | January 24, 2003 | 3 years | Clinton, BillBill Clinton |
| 21 |
 | Basham, W.W. Ralph Basham (born 1943) | January 27, 2003 | May 30, 2006 | 3 years | Bush, GeorgeGeorge W. Bush |
| 22 |
 | Sullivan, MarkMark J. Sullivan (born c.1955) | May 31, 2006 | March 27, 2013 | 6 years | Bush, GeorgeGeorge W. Bush |
| 23 |
 | Pierson, JuliaJulia Pierson (born 1959) | March 27, 2013 | October 1, 2014 | 1 year | Obama, BarackBarack Obama |
| 24 |
 | Clancy, JosephJoseph Clancy (born 1955) | October 1, 2014 | March 4, 2017 | 2 years | Obama, BarackBarack Obama |
| – |
 | Callahan, William J.William J. Callahan Acting | March 4, 2017 | April 25, 2017 | 52 days | Trump, DonaldDonald Trump |
| 25 |
 | Alles, RandolphRandolph Alles (born 1954) | April 25, 2017 | May 1, 2019 | 2 years | Trump, DonaldDonald Trump |
| 26 |
 | Murray, James M.James M. Murray (born c. 1968) | May 1, 2019 | September 17, 2022 | 3 years | Trump, DonaldDonald Trump |
| 27 |
 | Cheatle, KimberlyKimberly Cheatle (born 1972) | September 17, 2022 | July 23, 2024 | 1 year | Biden, JoeJoe Biden |
| – |
| Rowe, Ronald L.Ronald L. Rowe Jr. Acting | July 23, 2024 | 149 days | Biden, JoeJoe Biden |
See also
- Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation
- Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Director of the United States Marshals Service
- Federal law enforcement in the United States
References
- ^ "Records of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS)". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ Resse, Shawn (April 16, 2012). "The U.S. Secret Service: An Examination and Analysis of Its Evolving Missions" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- "United States Secret Service: Investigative Mission". United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- "United States Secret Service: Employment Opportunities - Uniformed Officer". United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- "Secret Service veteran first woman to lead it". The Boston Globe. March 27, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- On March 1, 2003, the Secret Service was transferred from United States Department of the Treasury to the United States Department of Homeland Security, pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
- "A Brief History Of: The Secret Service". Time. November 20, 2008. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- "The U.S. Secret Service in History". National Archives and Records Administration. 1998. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ "Secret Service History". United States Service. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- "President Obama Announces A Key Administration Post". whitehouse.gov. March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013 – via National Archives.
- "Obama to name Julia Pierson as new Secret Service director". Washington Post. March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- US Secret Service (February 14, 2017). "Retirement of Director Joseph P. Clancy" (PDF). US Secret Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- "Randolph D. Alles appointed 25th Director of the United States Secret Service" (PDF) (Press release). April 25, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 4, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
External links
| Chiefs and directors of the United States Secret Service | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chief (1865–1965) · Director (1965–present) · # denotes acting director |