William J. Flynn
| William J. Flynn | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Director of the Bureau of Investigation | |
|
In office July 1, 1919 – August 22, 1921 |
|
| President |
Woodrow Wilson Warren Harding |
| Preceded by | William E. Allen (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | William J. Burns |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 18, 1867 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 14, 1928 (aged 60) Larchmont, New York, U.S. |
William James Flynn (November 18, 1867 – October 14, 1928) was the director of the Bureau of Investigation from July 1, 1919 to August 21, 1921.
Flynn was born in New York City and began his government career in 1897, after receiving a public school education.
Flynn began his career as a Manhattan plumber. His first law enforcement job was as an agent in the United States Secret Service. He spent many years combating counterfeiting, which led to his investigation and arrests of Black Hand extortionists and members of the American mafia, many of them associated with the Morello crime family.
Flynn collaborated with New York Police Department Detective Giuseppe "Joe" Petrosino, who was murdered in 1909 in Palermo, Sicily, where he was tracing the backgrounds of the gangsters plaguing New York City. Petrosino's murder was never officially solved, but author/historian Mike Dash implicates the likely triggerman and his accomplice and says there is little doubt that Giuseppe Morello was behind it. Flynn and his operatives built the case that culminated in the 1910 convictions of Morello and his associates and their imprisonment at Atlanta Federal Prison.
Flynn gained recognition in 1911, when he successfully reorganized the New York City detective force. He later returned to the Secret Service as Chief (1912–1917). During World War I, he served as Chief of the United States Railroad Administration's Secret Service, investigating threats of sabotage.
...
Wikipedia