Clyde Tolson

Clyde Anderson Tolson (May 22, 1900 – April 14, 1975) was the second-ranking official of the FBI from 1930 until 1972, from 1947 titled Associate Director, primarily responsible for personnel and discipline. He is best known as the protégé and long time top deputy of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

Clyde Tolson
1st Associate Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
In office
1930 – May 2, 1972
PresidentHerbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byMark Felt
Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
In office
May 2, 1972 – May 3, 1972
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byJ. Edgar Hoover
Succeeded byL. Patrick Gray (acting)
Personal details
Born
Clyde Anderson Tolson

(1900-05-22)May 22, 1900
Laredo, Missouri, U.S.
DiedApril 14, 1975(1975-04-14) (aged 74)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA, LLB)

Early life

Tolson was born in Laredo, Missouri to James William Tolson, a farmer and railroad freight guard,[1] and Joaquin Miller Tolson (née Anderson).[2][3] His brother, Hillory Alfred Tolson (1887–1983), was assistant director of the National Park Service and executive director of the White House Historical Association, and an FBI agent before entering the Park Service.[4][5] Tolson graduated from Laredo High School in 1915 and attended Cedar Rapids Business College from which he graduated in 1918.[6]

Early career

From 1919 to 1928, he was confidential secretary for three Secretaries of War: Newton D. Baker,[7] John W. Weeks, and Dwight F. Davis.[8] Tolson completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at George Washington University in 1925 and a Bachelor of Laws from the same institution in 1927.[3] While attending George Washington University, Tolson became a member of the Delta Pi chapter of Sigma Nu.[9]

Career

In 1928, Tolson applied to the FBI and was hired as a Special Agent later that year. Tolson reportedly indicated on his application that he wanted to use the job as a stepping stone to gain experience and earn enough money to open a law practice in Cedar Rapids.[10] After working in the FBI's Boston and Washington, D.C., field offices, he became the chief FBI clerk and was promoted to assistant director in 1930.

In 1936, Tolson joined Hoover to arrest bank robber Alvin Karpis. Later that year, he survived a gunfight with gangster Harry Brunette.[11] In 1942, Tolson participated in capturing Nazi saboteurs on Long Island and Florida.[12] In 1947, he was made FBI Associate Director with duties in budget and administration.[13]

Relationship with Hoover
Clyde Tolson (left) with J. Edgar Hoover, c. 1939

It has been stated that J. Edgar Hoover described Tolson as his alter ego: "They rode to and from work together, ate lunch together, traveled together on official business, and even vacationed together."[14] Rumors circulated for years that the two bachelors had a romantic relationship.[15] Some authors dismissed the rumors about Hoover's sexual orientation and possible intimate relationship with Tolson,[16][17][18] while others have described them as probable or even "confirmed",[19][20] and still others reported the rumors without stating an opinion.[21][22]

When Hoover died, Tolson inherited his estate of US$551,000 ($3.4 million today), moved into his house,[11] and accepted the U.S. flag draped on Hoover's coffin.[23]

Later life

In 1964, Tolson suffered a stroke and remained somewhat frail for the remainder of his life.[24] In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded him the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, saying that Tolson "has been a vital force in raising the proficiency of law enforcement at all levels and in guiding the Federal Bureau of Investigation to new heights of accomplishment through periods of great National challenge."[25] Hoover kept Tolson employed in the FBI even after Tolson became too old for police duty and passed the retirement age.[11]

After Hoover's death on May 2, 1972, Tolson was briefly the acting head of the FBI.[13] L. Patrick Gray became acting director on May 3.[26] That same day, Tolson contacted Mark Felt and instructed him to write Tolson's letter of resignation.[27] Citing ill health, Tolson retired from the bureau on May 4, the day of Hoover's funeral.[28][29] Felt was appointed to Tolson's position.[30]

Tolson's headstone at the Congressional Cemetery

After Tolson left the FBI, his health began to decline.[11][31] On April 10, 1975, Tolson was admitted to Doctors Community Hospital in Washington, D.C., for kidney failure.[32] He died there four days later of heart failure at the age of 74.[11] Tolson is buried in the Congressional Cemetery, near Hoover's grave.[24][32]

Depictions in fiction

Tolson has been depicted numerous times in novels, television, and movies, including:

gollark: Okay.
gollark: They are... advanced traffic lights.
gollark: Yes we do.
gollark: And?
gollark: My ingame account is fine.

References
  1. American National Biography, vol. 21, John Arthur Garraty, Mark Christopher Carnes, Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 730
  2. Gelder, Lawrence Van. "Clyde Tolson, Former FBI. Official, Is Dead at 74".
  3. Kessler, Ronald (2003). The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI. Macmillan. p. 29. ISBN 0-312-98977-6.
  4. Who was Who in America, vol. 8, 1982-1985, Marquis Who's Who, 1985, p. 399
  5. "Hillory Tolson, Park Service Official, Dies" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  6. The Delta of Sigma Nu, Volume 81, Issue 3. Sigma Nu Fraternity. 1964. p. 138.
  7. Jerome, Fred (2003). The Einstein File: J. Edgar Hoover's Secret War Against the World's Most Famous Scientist. Macmillan. p. 168. ISBN 1-429-97588-1.
  8. Powers, Richard Gid (1987). Secrecy and Power: The Life of J. Edgar Hoover (1 ed.). Free Press. p. 169. ISBN 0-029-25060-9.
  9. Bond Potter, Claire (1998). War on Crime: Bandits, G-men, and the Politics of Mass Culture. Rutgers University Press. p. 48. ISBN 0-813-52487-3.
  10. Gentry, Curt (2001). J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 189. ISBN 0-393-32128-2.
  11. Cohen, Richard M. (April 15, 1975). "FBI's Clyde A. Tolson, 74, Dies". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. p. C6.
  12. Wicker, Tom (April 9, 1971). "Nobody dares to pick his successor". Life. Time Inc. 70 (13): 44. ISSN 0024-3019.
  13. (Kessler 2003, p. 49)
  14. Cox, John Stuart; Theoharis, Athan G. (1988). The Boss: J. Edgar Hoover and the Great American Inquisition. Temple University Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-87722-532-X.
  15. Bardsley, Marilyn. "The Life and Career of J. Edgar Hoover". Crime Library. Archived from the original (Chapter 6: Homosexual?) on February 9, 2015. ...The relationship was so close, so enduring, and so affectionate that it took the place of marriage for both bachelors.
  16. Felt, Mark; O'Connor, John D. (2006). A G-man's Life: The FBI, Being 'Deep Throat,' And the Struggle for Honor in Washington. Public Affairs. p. 167. ISBN 1-58648-377-3.
  17. Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri (2003). Cloak and Dollar: A History of American Secret Intelligence. Yale University Press. p. 93. ISBN 0-300-10159-7.
  18. (Cox, Theoharis 1988, p. 108): "The strange likelihood is that Hoover never knew sexual desire at all."
  19. Percy, William A.; Johansson, Warren (1994). Outing: Shattering the Conspiracy of Silence. Haworth Press. pp. 85+. ISBN 1-56024-419-4.
  20. Summers, Anthony (1993). Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J Edgar Hoover. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-88087-X.
  21. Theoharis, Athan G., ed. (1998). The FBI: A Comprehensive Reference Guide. Oryx Press. pp. 291, 301, 397. ISBN 0-89774-991-X.
  22. Doherty, Thomas (2003). Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture. Columbia University Press. pp. 254–255. ISBN 0-231-12952-1.
  23. De Toledano, Ralph (1973). J. Edgar Hoover: The Man in His Time. Arlington House. p. 375. ISBN 0-870-00188-4.
  24. Boggs Roberts, Rebecca; Schmidt, Sandra K. (2012). Historic Congressional Cemetery. Arcadia Publishing. p. 123. ISBN 0-738-59224-2.
  25. "Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library". Lbjlibrary.org. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  26. FBI Biography of Gray Archived June 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  27. (Gentry 2001, p. 43)
  28. (Gentry 2001, pp. 43, 49)
  29. Breuer, William B. (1995). J. Edgar Hoover and His G-men. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 229. ISBN 0-275-94990-7.
  30. (Gentry 2001, p. 49)
  31. "G-men under fire". Life. 70 (13): 39. April 9, 1971. ISSN 0024-3019.
  32. (Gentry 2001, p. 736)
  33. Los Angeles newspaper reviews, as cited on the CD recording's Amazon.com page.
  34. Gee, Catherine (March 15, 2011). "Harry Shearer to bring 'J Edgar! The Musical' to London". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  35. Don DeLillo, Underworld (New York: Scribner, 1997), pp. 555-65, 567-79.
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