William J. Burns | |
|---|---|
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| Director of the Bureau of Investigation | |
| In office August 22, 1921 – May 10, 1924 | |
| President | Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge |
| Deputy | J. Edgar Hoover |
| 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. |
| Signature |  |
William John Burns (October 19, 1861 – April 14, 1932) was an American private investigator and law enforcement official. He was known as "America's Sherlock Holmes" and earned fame for having conducted private investigations into a number of notable incidents, such as clearing Leo Frank of the 1913 murder of Mary Phagan,[1] and for investigating the deadly 1910 Los Angeles Times bombing conducted by members of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers.[2] From August 22, 1921, to May 10, 1924, Burns served as the director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), predecessor to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
He was born in Baltimore and educated in Columbus. As a young man, Burns performed well as a United States 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 City newspapers, and the pages of detective magazines, in which he published true crime stories based on his exploits.