160th Anniversary of the United States Secret Service, 2025

Document overview

Summary

On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation authorizing the creation of the United States Secret Service, the very same day an assassin's bullet tragically took his life. Ironically, the agency he established likely could not have saved him. Its original purpose was not protection, but preservation, tasked with ending the widespread counterfeiting that threatened to destabilize the post-Civil War economy. Less than 3 months later, on July 5, 1865, the Secret Service officially began operations within the Department of the Treasury. Over time, the agency's mission began to expand.…

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