William J. Burns
| William J. Burns | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Director of the Bureau of Investigation | |
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In office August 22, 1921 – May 10, 1924 |
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| President |
Warren Harding Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | William J. Flynn |
| Succeeded by | J. Edgar Hoover |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 19, 1861 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | April 14, 1932 (aged 70) Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
William John Burns (October 19, 1861 – April 14, 1932), known as "America's Sherlock Holmes," is famous for having conducted a private investigation clearing Leo Frank of the murder of Mary Phagan, and for serving as the director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) (predecessor to the FBI) from August 22, 1921 to May 10, 1924. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland and was educated in Columbus, Ohio. As a young man, Burns performed well as a Secret Service Agent and parleyed his reputation into the William J. Burns International Detective Agency, now a part of Securitas Security Services USA. A combination of natural ability as a detective combined with an instinct for publicity made Burns a national figure. His exploits made national news, the gossip columns of New York newspapers, and the pages of detective magazines, in which he published "true" crime stories based on his exploits.
Burns married Annie M. Ressler in 1880. The couple had six children. Burns' sons, Raymond J. and William Sherman also worked as detectives for the William J. Burns National Detective Agency.
The City of Los Angeles hired Burns to catch those responsible for the bombing of the Los Angeles Times building on October 1, 1910. Burns's son Raymond and police officers from the Detroit and Chicago police departments arrested Jim McNamara and associate Ortie McManigal on April 14, 1911 in Detroit. John McNamara was arrested later that month in Indianapolis, Indiana. Extradited to Los Angeles, the brothers pleaded guilty to murder in the bombing.
Burns was considered well qualified to direct the Bureau of Investigation, and was friends with President Warren Harding's Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty. Burns was confirmed as Director of the Bureau of Investigation on August 22, 1921. He continued to run the Burns Detective Agency throughout his tenure as Director of the BOI. Under Burns, the Bureau shrank from its 1920 high of 1,127 personnel to 600 employees in 1923.
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