J. Edgar Hoover (1895–1972,) fully John Edgar Hoover, was an American lawyer and government official. As the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 1924–72, Hoover built that organization into a highly effective branch of federal law enforcement.
Born in Washington, DC, Hoover graduated in law at George Washington University in 1917, after taking evening classes. He then entered the Justice Department, becoming a special assistant to the Attorney-General in 1919 and the FBI’s assistant director in 1921. He became FBI director in 1924 and remained in charge until his death.
Hoover transformed the FBI into an efficient organization and added such improvements as a national fingerprint file and a crime laboratory. He campaigned against city gangster rackets in the inter-war years and confronted communist sympathizers in the post-war period.
In his later years in office, Hoover was criticized for the FBI’s role during the McCarthy era and abusing his power by persecuting liberal and civil-rights activists, notably Martin Luther King, Jr..
Hoover has been depicted by numerous actors in films and stage productions, including by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Clint Eastwood biopic J. Edgar (2011.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by J. Edgar Hoover
Justice is incidental to law and order.
—J. Edgar Hoover
Topics: Justice
Prayer is man’s greatest means of trapping the infinite resources of God.
—J. Edgar Hoover
Topics: Prayer
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
John Foster Dulles American Politician
Ezra Pound American Poet, Critic
Mark Van Doren American Poet, Critic
Marianne Moore American Poet
Harry S. Truman American Head of State
Jane Addams American Social Reformer
William F. Buckley, Jr. American TV Personality
Arthur Rubinstein American Pianist
George Lucas American Filmmaker
Layne Staley American Musician