William Patrick Wood (March 11, 1820 – March 20, 1903) was a colonel in the United States Army and the first Director of the United States Secret Service. He was born to James Wood and Margaret Turner in Alexandria, Virginia. Wood enlisted in the 3rd Regular Cavalry in the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexicans, Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% ...

, leading the C Company under General

Samuel Hamilton Walker Samuel Hamilton Walker (February 24, 1817 – October 9, 1847) was an American army officer. He served as a Texas Ranger captain and officer of the Republic of Texas and the United States armies. Walker served in several armed conflicts, includ ...

. Following the war he returned to Washington and married his wife, Harriet Smith. Although raised in the Catholic Church, he became an active leader of the Know-Nothing Party. In the years leading up to the Civil War, Wood was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of former slaves escape to New England and Canada. Wood led drills in preparation for

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

's raid on Harpers Ferry, but ultimately objected to crossing state lines under arms and withdrew from the raid. Following the outbreak of the war, Wood was appointed by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to be superintendent of the military prisons of the District of Columbia, principally the Old Capitol Prison. After the

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

of Abraham Lincoln, Wood was summoned back to Washington by an urgent telegram from Edwin Stanton to assist in the investigation. Following this, he was sworn in on July 5, 1865, by Secretary of the Treasury

Hugh McCulloch Hugh McCulloch (December 7, 1808 – May 24, 1895) was an American financier who played a central role in financing the American Civil War. He served two non-consecutive terms as U.S. Treasury Secretary under three presidents. He was originally ...

to head the newly formed Secret Service for four years until he resigned in 1869. He was considered the best in battling financial crime, and within a year of its founding, the Secret Service had arrested over 200 counterfeiters. He died on March 20, 1903, and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

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*
Web site - muddresearch.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, William 1820 births 1903 deaths United States Secret Service agents Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Directors of the United States Secret Service

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