J. Edgar Hoover

J. Edgar Hoover served as the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He lived his entire life in DC, earning his law degree at George Washington University night school. He joined the Department of Justice in 1917 and rose to become director at the age of 29. He reformed the FBI by removing political appointees and requiring legal and/or accounting backgrounds for agents. He professionalized federal crimefighting, establishing the first government-operated forensics lab and instituting centralized databases. Hoover led the 1940s’ domestic security efforts against Nazi infiltration and the 1950s’ efforts against Communist suspects. He instituted the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list in 1950. A controversial figure due to his racist beliefs and political dogmatism, he exerted an unprecedented degree of influence as a civil servant on the federal government. He was raised a Master Mason in November 1920 in Federal Lodge No. 1, and was a charter member of Justice Lodge No. 46, which was founded in 1926. In October 1955 he received the Masonic honor of the 33rd Degree and was honored with a rare election as a Grand Cross recipient in October 1965.