President
Abraham Lincoln signed legislation creating the Secret Service on April 14, 1865, the day of
his assassination. It was commissioned on July 5, 1865, in
Washington, D.C., as the "Secret Service Division" of the Department of the Treasury. After being appointed by President
Andrew Johnson,
William P. Wood was sworn in as the first chief of the Secret Service on July 5, 1865, by
Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch. When the Secret Service was established, its head was called the
chief of the Secret Service. In 1965, the title was changed to the
director of the Secret Service, four years into the term of
James Joseph Rowley (1961–1973). She became the first female director of the agency. On October 1, 2014, the Secret Service leadership changed to Director
Joseph Clancy, a retired agent who formerly led the
Presidential Protective Division. On March 4, 2017, Director Joseph Clancy retired, leaving the position vacant until a replacement was nominated by President
Donald Trump. Meanwhile, William J. Callahan served as acting director of the United States Secret Service from March 4, 2017, to April 25, 2017.
Randolph Alles, former acting deputy commissioner of the
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was appointed director by Trump. ==List of chiefs and directors==