Frank Wills | |
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Born | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | February 4, 1948
Died | September 27, 2000 | (aged 52)
Education | Job Corps |
Occupation | Security guard |
Known for | Foiling the 1972 DNC break-in, which triggered the Watergate scandal |
Frank Wills (February 4, 1948 – September 27, 2000) was an American security guard best known for his role in foiling the June 17 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee inside the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Then 24, Wills called the police after discovering that locks at the complex had been tampered with. Five men were arrested inside the Democratic headquarters, which they had planned to bug. The arrests triggered the Watergate scandal and eventually the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in 1974.
Although hailed as a hero, Wills did not receive much financial reward or a promotion and later had difficulty finding work. He did media appearances and played himself in the 1976 film All the President's Men,[1] but spent much of his life jobless and in poverty.