HOOVER, JOHN EDGAR
John Edgar Hoover served from 1924 to 1972 as the director of the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI).
During his long tenure, Hoover
built the FBI into a formidable law enforcement
organization, establishing standards for the col-
lection and evaluation of information that made
the FBI an effective crime fighting agency. How-
ever, Hoover’s reputation was tarnished by his
collection of damaging information on promi-
nent politicians and public figures for his per-
sonal use, and by his aggressive investigation of
CIVIL RIGHTS leaders and left-wing radicals.
Hoover was born January 1, 1895, in Wash-
ington, D.C. Following graduation from high
school, he turned down a scholarship from the
University of Virginia, electing to stay home and
study law at night at George Washington Uni-
versity. In 1916 he received a bachelor of laws
degree. In 1917 he added a master of laws
degree. Upon graduation from college, Hoover
joined the U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
Hoover started in a minor position, but his
intelligence, energy, and mastery of detail were
quickly noticed by his superiors. By 1919 he had
risen to the rank of special assistant attorney
general. During these early years, Hoover first
became involved with the suppression of politi-
cal radicals, assisting Attorney General A.
MITCHELL PALMER in the arrest and deportation
