Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury, administers the inaugural oath to William P. Wood, former Keeper of the Old Capitol Prison, to be the first Director of the Secret Service.  The sole initial mission of the SS is to investigate unauthorized counterfeiting.  At the same time the Department of the Treasury had been given authority to issue 450,000,000 “dollars” in “Greenback” authorized counterfeit currency (not redeemable in specie (gold and silver Coin)).

       [restored 4/23/2022]