Lincoln Created The Secret Service Hours Before His Assassination

It was easy for people to counterfeit money because there were so many different types of bills in use. More than a third of the currency in circulation during President Lincoln's presidency was fake. This is obviously one of the interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln advised Hugh McCulloch, the Secretary of the Treasury, to form a commission to address this issue because it was damaging the country's economy. On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln established the United States Secret Service to implement the commission's recommendations. He was shot at Ford's Theater that evening. Lincoln wouldn't have been saved even if the Secret Service had been founded earlier: The law enforcement organization's first goal was to stop massive currency fraud. The Secret Service was not legally tasked with guarding the president until 1901, following the assassinations of two earlier presidents.

On July 5, 1865, the Secret Service began operations. William Wood served as its first leader. Chief Wood, who is well-known for his bravery during the Civil War, had a great first year in office, shutting down more than 200 counterfeiting operations. As a result of this achievement, the Secret Service's usefulness was further demonstrated, and the National Headquarters was created in the Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D.C., in 1866.