First Head of the Secret Service. When the Secret Service was formed in July of 1865, Wood became its first chief. Before, he had been a calvary officer in the Civil War and the Mexican War. It was during the Civil War that he went through many secret government missions across Confederate lines that made him a wanted man by the Confederacy. Many of the missions included secretly visiting Confederate prisoner of war camps in the South. The Secret Service's main objective at its beginning was to halt the counterfeiting of currency which was a serious problem during the Civil War. He was credited for breaking up one of the largest counterfeiters of the day, William Brockway. Wood also investigated the Lincoln assassination, getting confessions from some participants. He left the agency after a dispute over reward money. He died penniless, although a bill was in Congress at the time to secure the reward money was due. In 2001, retired Secret Service agents raised money for a monument to mark his grave and bring attention to his achievements.
First Head of the Secret Service. When the Secret Service was formed in July of 1865, Wood became its first chief. Before, he had been a calvary officer in the Civil War and the Mexican War. It was during the Civil War that he went through many secret government missions across Confederate lines that made him a wanted man by the Confederacy. Many of the missions included secretly visiting Confederate prisoner of war camps in the South. The Secret Service's main objective at its beginning was to halt the counterfeiting of currency which was a serious problem during the Civil War. He was credited for breaking up one of the largest counterfeiters of the day, William Brockway. Wood also investigated the Lincoln assassination, getting confessions from some participants. He left the agency after a dispute over reward money. He died penniless, although a bill was in Congress at the time to secure the reward money was due. In 2001, retired Secret Service agents raised money for a monument to mark his grave and bring attention to his achievements.
Bio by: Evening Blues
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