January is often the month for presidential inaugurations. Inauguration Day conjures up images of the parade down Washington, DC’s Pennsylvania Avenue, flags waving, throngs of people lining the route, Secret Service agents sharply dressed in dark suits, long wool coats, sunglasses, and earpieces that coil down the back of their necks. It might seem like the Secret Service has always been part of inaugurations, found anywhere the president of the United States can be found. In reality, the Secret Service has had a shorter history of protecting the president than one might expect.
Established in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln on the same day he was assassinated, the Secret Service has only been working at presidential inaugurations since 1885. Early on, their role was to help local police stop small crimes along the parade route and to keep people from “annoying” the president, while military and police officers were responsible for guarding the president. In 1894, the Secret Service’s role expanded as they provided informal, part-time protection of Grover Cleveland. Later, following the assassination of William McKinley in 1901, Congress informally requested presidential protection. It was not until 1902 that the Secret Service provided full-time protection for the president of the United States.
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