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John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law-enforcement administrator who served as the final Director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). President Calvin Coolidge first appointed Hoover as director of the BOI, the predecessor to the FBI, in 1924.
- Himself (as Director of the Bureau of Investigation)
- J. Edgar Hoover's Early Life
- Palmer Raids and Hoover's Rise
- Gangsters and G-Men
- Spying During World War II
- Cold War Anti-Communism
- Was J. Edgar Hoover Gay?
- Hoover and The Kennedys
- Hoover and Nixon
- J. Edgar Hoover's Death and Legacy
- Sources
John Edgar Hoover was born on January 1, 1895, in Washington, D.C. After graduating high school, he worked at the Library of Congress while taking night school classes at George Washington University Law School, eventually earning his LLB (bachelor of laws) and LLM (master of laws) degrees there. In 1917, the year the United States entered World Wa...
On January 2, 1920, Hoover’s division of the Bureau of Investigation (it wouldn’t be known as the FBIuntil 1935) carried out simultaneous raids in several major cities, arresting thousands of suspected Communists, anarchists or other radicals. Initially hailed as a success, the so-called Palmer Raidswere soon criticized by many for violating the ci...
Against the background of Prohibition(passed in 1920), organized crime thrived in the United States, with gangsters competing against each other for the profitable market in bootleg liquor. And during the Great Depression, Hollywood and much of the American public romanticized gangsters and notorious outlaws like John Dillinger, Bonnie Parker and C...
As the public face of the war on crime in the 1930s, Hoover became the ultimate G-Man in the public imagination. President Franklin D. Rooseveltgave the FBI a sweeping mandate to investigate fascism and communism in the United States, which Hoover used to increase domestic surveillance (including wiretapping). He also kept tabs on a growing list of...
During World War II, Hoover’s bureau took much of the responsibility for investigating espionage at home as well as abroad, as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not exist at the time. Once World War II gave way to the Cold War, Hoover turned his attention back to his lifelong obsession: the war on communism. The FBI went to work rooting out...
After the rise and fall of McCarthyism, Hoover reemerged as the nation’s leading anticommunism crusader. On the now-discredited theory that communism was linked to homosexuality, the FBI compiled vast files of suspected or known homosexuals within the U.S. government. Ironically, rumors that Hoover himself was a closeted homosexual–and had a sexual...
In the 1960s, Hoover’s FBI investigated leaders of the civil rights movement, which he believed was intimately connected to communism. Hoover also compiled a considerable file on President John F. Kennedy, including his extramarital affairs and alleged Mafia connections, and he fought regularly with Robert Kennedy, JFK’s brother and attorney genera...
Despite Hoover’s longtime personal friendship with President Richard M. Nixon, his leadership came under threat at the outset of the 1970s, as his enemies within the White Houseplotted to replace him–and an ambitious subordinate, Bill Sullivan, angled for his job. Fearing Hoover still had the power to bring down the government, Nixon backed down fr...
Early on the morning of May 2, 1972, Hoover died in his sleep at the age of 77. In the days after his death, President Nixon reportedly directed staff at the Justice Department to obtain the voluminous “secret” personal files Hoover kept in his office. But by the time they got there, Hoover’s personal secretary had destroyed all the files, accordin...
Christopher Lydon, “J. Edgar Hoover Made the FBI Formidable with Politics, Publicity and Results,” The New York Times(May 3, 1972). Kenneth D. Ackerman, “Five Myths About J. Edgar Hoover,” The Washington Post(November 9, 2011). Biography: J. Edgar Hoover, PBS American Experience. Tim Weiner, Enemies: A History of the FBI(Random House, 2012). Curt G...
Apr 3, 2014 · Learn about the life and legacy of J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972. He used unconventional tactics to monitor and surveil political enemies, gangsters, Nazis and Communists. He also faced criticism and scandal over his anti-Communist and anti-subversive views and COINTELPRO operations.
Mar 13, 2024 · J. Edgar Hoover, U.S. public official who, as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1924 until his death in 1972, built that agency into a highly effective, if occasionally controversial, arm of federal law enforcement. Learn more about Hoover in this article.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Who was J. Edgar Hoover?J. Edgar Hoover was a United States government official who served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1924 until his dea...
- In which year did J. Edgar Hoover join the Department of Justice?J. Edgar Hoover joined the Department of Justice as a file reviewer in 1917. Two years later, he became special assistant to Attorney General A. Mi...
- What were J. Edgar Hoover's contributions to the FBI?After J. Edgar Hoover was named director of the Bureau of Investigation in May 1924, he reorganized and rebuilt the organization. He started recrui...
- How long did J. Edgar Hoover serve as chief of the FBI?J. Edgar Hoover retained his post as FBI’s chief until his death at age 77, by which time he had been the chief for 48 years and had served 8 presi...
- Which president gave J. Edgar Hoover the responsibility to investigate foreign and domestic espionag...In the late 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Hoover the task to investigate both foreign espionage in the United States and the activiti...
Nov 22, 2022 · November 22, 2022. Five decades after his death, J. Edgar Hoover still haunts the FBI. His nearly 48-year reign as its director, from 1924 to 1972, has come to symbolize the dangers of a...
People also ask
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A biography of John Edgar Hoover, the longest-serving director of the FBI, who led the Bureau for 48 years from 1924 to 1972. Learn about his career, achievements, and legacy in law enforcement, counterintelligence, and civil rights.
Nov 14, 2022 · J. Edgar Hoover, Public Enemy No. 1. The F.B.I. director promised to save American democracy from those who would subvert it—while his secret programs subverted it from within. By Margaret...
