J. Edgar Hoover

John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from May 10, 1924, until his death in 1972, having been appointed to that position as acting director by President Coolidge to reform and clean up the bureau, which was considered a haven of corruption. During his tenure, Hoover attained extraordinary power and unusual discretionary authority, while also feuding with many adversaries. Some of his contemporary detractors and now some historians suspect or accused him of having links to the Mafia, of gathering information for the purposes of blackmail and of being a closet homosexual while persecuting others with similar preferences.

Personal life

Speculation and rumors that Hoover was a homosexual have never been definitively proven, although his enemies and critics have long suggested it. The allegation that he was also a crossdresser, however, has little if any basis in fact and is generally considered to be an urban legend. Hoover's right-hand man, Clyde Tolson, was a constant companion for more than 40 years, and they often vacationed together. Hoover and Tolson were both lifelong bachelors, and Hoover lived with his mother until her death in 1938, when he was 43 years old. Hoover was raised a devout Presbyterian and considered the ministry as a career. Some critics said he used this to try to render his personal conduct (sexual or otherwise) above reproach during his tenure at the FBI.

Related Topics:
Crossdresser - Urban legend - Clyde Tolson - 1938 - Presbyterian - Ministry

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Even within Hoover's own lifetime, journalists and other observers made observations that hinted at a hidden personal life. Walter Winchell, the famed gossip columnist, once wrote a column that superficially extolled Hoover, while at the same time included many of the aforementioned peculiarities. A female journalist (in an article cited by Winchell), who managed to talk her way into an interview with Hoover, wrote an article sarcastically entitled, "Hoover: He Always Gets his Man, But he Never Found a Woman."

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It has long been rumored that the New Orleans and Chicago Mafia blackmailed Hoover with photos of him in drag and performing homosexual acts, which may partially explain why he allegedly never went after them (these were detailed by journalist Anthony Summers), but according to sources in the Mafia, no such photos existed.http://www.straightdope.com/columns/021206.html After Hoover was ordered to go after the Mafia, other sources claim, he pursued them zealously. However, Peter Maas, a notable journalist, has criticized accusations that Hoover had deep ties with the Kennedy family, and these allegations in turn were heavily criticized in Anthony Summers's book on Marilyn Monroe.

Related Topics:
New Orleans - Chicago - Mafia - Anthony Summers - Peter Maas - Kennedy family - Marilyn Monroe

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An FBI memorandum dated June 11, 1943, reports on a woman spreading gossip of Hoover being "queer" and keeping "a large group of young boys around him." The memo reports the woman said she had overheard conversation at an adjoining restaurant in Baltimore in 1941.http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/hoover1.html

Related Topics:
June 11 - 1943 - Queer

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In light of this, one does not quite know how to take Hoover's supposed reply to a woman who asked him to "do something" about fellatio, "I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate commerce."

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