Day 69, April 5

Since 1901, every President from Theodore Roosevelt on has been protected by the Secret Service. In 1917, threats against the President became a felony. The current Service is made up of two primary divisions -- the Uniformed Division and the Special Agent Division. The primary role of the Uniformed Division is protection of the White House and its immediate surroundings, as well as the residence of the Vice President, and over 170 foreign embassies located in Washington, D.C. Originally named the White House Police, the Uniformed Division was established by an Act of Congress on July 1, 1922, during President Warren G. Harding's Administration (1921-1923). The Special Agent Division is charged with two missions: protection and investigation.  The  investigative responsibilities include counterfeiting, forgery, and financial crimes. In addition to protecting the President, the Vice President, and their immediate families, agents also provide protection for foreign heads of state and heads of government visiting the United States.

Day 68, April 4

Because of its role in investigating counterfeiters, the new Secret Service was created under the United States Department of the Treasury. The Service began in earnest, and by 1866 agents had already shut down some 200 counterfeiting operations working in the United States.

So successful were they, in fact, that in 1867 their authority was expanded. Counterfeiters were no longer their only target; they were authorized to investigate any persons committing fraud against the government.

Besides the Secret Service, the only other real federal police force at this time were the U.S. Marshals.  The Secret Service soon began taking over many of the functions in enforcing federal law that the Marshals did not have the manpower to handle on their own.

Day 67, April 3

During the evening of the same day President Lincoln established the Secret Service, he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth. The country mourned as news spread that the President had been shot.

It was the first time in our nation's history that a president had been assassinated. As Americans cried out for justice for their president, Congress began to think about adding presidential protection to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service.

However, it would take another 36 years and the assassination of two more Presidents, James A. Garfield (March 4, 1881-September 10, 1881) and William McKinley (1897-1901), before the Congress added protection of the president to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service.

Day 66, April 2

When the United States Secret Service (USSS) was established,in 1865, its main duty was to prevent the illegal production, or counterfeiting, of money. In the 1800s, America's monetary system was very disorganized. Bills and coins were issued by each state through individual banks, which generated many types of legal currency.

The Secret Service officially went to work on July 5, 1865. William Wood, widely known for his heroism during the Civil War, served as its first chief.  Wood was very successful in his first year, closing more than 200 counterfeiting plants. This success helped prove the value of the Secret Service, and in 1866 the National Headquarters was established in the Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D.C.  With so many different kinds of bills in circulation, it was easy for people to counterfeit money.

During President Lincoln's Administration, more than a third of the nation's money was counterfeit. On the advice of Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch, President Lincoln established a commission to stop this rapidly growing problem that was destroying the nation's economy, and on April 14, 1865, he created the United States Secret Service to carry out the commission's recommendations.

Day 65, April 1

Members of the Mormon Battalion served their country, answering a call from President Polk.  Even more, however, they served the Lord, answering a call from Him, issued by the Prophet Brigham Young.

The hardships they survived are unimaginable, including an attack by wild cattle, heat exhaustion, sickness, and insufficient food.  That several women accompanied the march is even more remarkable.

Personal gain was never a motive for the men, as their salaries were sent to their families and the Church as a whole to help with the Mormon exodus to the Salt Lake Valley.  Sacrifice was their watchword.