J Edgar HooverJ Edgar Hoover, was born John Edgar Hoover on January 1, 1895 in Washington D.C. Hoover had a strict Presbyterian upbringing and gave serious thought to becoming a minister. He was a very good student, valedictorian of his class. After high school graduation he worked as a messenger in the Library of Congress and attended George Washington University at night. In 1917, he was admitted to the District of Columbia bar. He soon went to work at the U.S. Department of Justice and was impressive enough to be named Assistant to the Attorney General. He led the department's General Intelligence Division (GID). In 1921, the GID was moved to the Bureau of Investigation (BOA). Attorney General Harlan Fiske Stone appointed Hoover Acting Director of the BOA on May 10, 1924. J Edgar Hoover was only 29. By the end of that same year he was named director. In 1935, the BOA became the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with Hoover as its director. Under Hoover, the FBI became an effective crime fighting organization and a piece of American American pop culture. While the nation suffered from the Great Depression, the media gave dangerous gangsters colorful names like Bonnie and Clyde, "Ma" Barker, "Pretty Boy" Floyd," "Baby Face" Nelson, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis and "Gentleman Johnny" Dillinger. Their crimes were depicted as adventures, and the cops who pursued them were made out to be inept. Daring robberies and ruthless murders sold magazines, newspapers, and movie tickets. It was determined by the federal government that only the feds could catch these criminals. Bank robbery became a federal crime, and Hoover's agents set out to capture or kill the most well known of the criminals. The media came up with a newsworthy name for these agents - G-Men. One by one the G-Men took down the big name gangsters until only one was left - Alvin "Creepy" Karpis. The FBI finally cornered Karpis in New Orleans on May 1, 1936. To enhance his reputation with the public, J Edgar Hoover flew to New Orleans and personally gave the order to capture Karpis. He was reported as saying, ""Put the cuffs on him, boys." In 1949, a reporter for the International News Service asked the FBI for a list of the criminals they would most like to capture. The resulting article, published on March 14, 1950, was the first "FBI Ten Most Wanted" list. The list was an immediate hit with public, and it showed up in countless movies, TV shows, and newspapers. Hoover also centralized fingerprint files and forensic laboratories, and he heavily publicized the technologies. Politically, Hoover was bipartisan and was very good at manipulating both of the major parties to his advantage. Hoover's popularity with the masses made it a necessity for politicians to publicly support him. Hoover spent a lot of time working on the FBI's media image. He was a consultant for the Warner Brothers movie about the FBI, The FBI Story (1959). He also read and approved the scripts for each episode of Warner Brothers' long-running spin-off television series, The FBI. Hoover's leadership was sometimes capricious and impulsive. Often he would fire FBI agents because he thought they "looked stupid like truck drivers" or were "pinheads." Some competent agents were reassigned to dead-end jobs because Hoover felt threatened by their achievements. Melvin Purvis at one time was as well-known as Hoover. Purvis displeased Hoover because of what Hoover perceived as self-promoting his involvement in the capture of John Dillinger. Hoover took away some of Purvis' authority, and Purvis subsequently left the FBI. Hoover has also been criticized for stretching his legal authority to the maximum limit and beyond. He kept a list of 12,000 Americans who he suspected of being disloyal to the United States. At the beginning of the Korean War, Hoover asked President Truman to grant him permission to detain and suspend habeas corpus. There is no evidence to support that Truman gave his approval. Columnist Jack Anderson was a frequent critic of J Edgar Hoover but had this to say: "J. Edgar Hoover transformed the FBI from a collection of hacks, misfits and courthouse hangers-on into one of the world's most effective and formidable law enforcement organizations. Under his reign, not a single FBI man ever tried to fix a case, defraud the taxpayers or sell out his country." J Edgar Hoover was one of the most well-known names of the twentieth century. His fame will not fade away, so signed material is always going to have value.  I have a signed book in my collection, "Masters of Deceit." It is inscribed " To William A. Kilby Best Wishes J. Edgar Hoover 6-12-62." I also have a signed portrait. It is inscribed "To Harry Evans Best Wishes J Edgar Hoover 11-6-42." J Edgar Hoover penned several books. Signed books, almost always inscribed, are easy to find, so make sure you find one in good condition. A reasonable price would be $75 - $100 for a nice one. Signed letters are also easy to find. A typed signed letter retails for around $75. A letter with historically significant content would sell for more. A simple signature would retail in the range of $25 - $50. Signed photos sell for about $100.
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