| Clyde Tolson | |
| Office: | 1st Associate Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| Term Start: | 1930 |
| Term End: | May 3, 1972 |
| Predecessor: | Position established |
| Successor: | Mark Felt |
| Office1: | Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| President1: | Richard Nixon |
| Term Start1: | May 2, 1972 |
| Term End1: | May 3, 1972 |
| Predecessor1: | J. Edgar Hoover |
| Successor1: | L. Patrick Gray (acting) |
| Birth Name: | Clyde Anderson Tolson |
| Birth Date: | 22 May 1900 |
| Birth Place: | Laredo, Missouri, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education: | (BA, LLB) |
| Awards: | President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1965) |
| Resting Place: | Congressional Cemetery |
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 was the protégé and long-time top deputy of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.[1] [2] [3]
Tolson was born in Laredo, Missouri to James William Tolson, a farmer and railroad freight guard,[4] and Joaquin Miller Tolson (née Anderson).[5] [6] His brother, Hillory Alfred Tolson (1887–1983), was assistant director of the National Park Service, executive director of the White House Historical Association, and an FBI agent before entering the Park Service.[7] [8] Tolson graduated from Laredo High School in 1915 and attended Cedar Rapids Business College, from which he graduated in 1918.[9]
From 1919 to 1928, Tolson was confidential secretary for three Secretaries of War: Newton D. Baker,[10] John W. Weeks, and Dwight F. Davis.[11] He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at George Washington University in 1925 and a Bachelor of Laws from the same institution in 1927.[6] While attending George Washington, Tolson became a member of the Delta Pi chapter of Sigma Nu.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14] In 1942, Tolson participated in capturing Nazi saboteurs on Long Island and in Florida.[15] In 1947, he was made FBI Associate Director with duties in budget and administration.
It has been stated that J. Edgar Hoover described: "They rode to and from work together, ate lunch together, and often traveled together on official or unofficial business."[16] Their relationship has been described as "what many considered a 'spousal' relationship between the two men".[17] Some authors dismissed the rumors about Hoover's sexual orientation and possible intimate relationship with Tolson,[18] [19] [20] while others have described them as probable or even confirmed,[21] [22] and still others reported the rumors without stating an opinion.[23] [24] The two men often spent weekends together in New York, Christmas season together in Florida, and the start of the Del Mar horse racing season together in California.[25]
When Hoover died in 1972, Tolson inherited his estate of US$551,000 ($ million today), moved into his house,[14] and accepted the U.S. flag draped on Hoover's coffin.[26]
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."[27] Hoover kept Tolson employed in the FBI even after Tolson became too old for police duty and passed the retirement age.[14]
After Hoover's death on May 2, 1972, Tolson was briefly the acting head of the FBI. L. Patrick Gray became acting director on May 3.[28] Citing ill health, Tolson retired from the bureau on May 4, the day of Hoover's funeral.[29] Mark Felt was appointed to Tolson's position.
After Tolson left the FBI, his health began to decline further.[14] [30] In 1975, Tolson suffered a stroke and remained somewhat frail for the remainder of his life.[31] On April 10, 1975, Tolson was admitted to Doctors Community Hospital in Washington, D.C., for kidney failure. He died there four days later of heart failure at the age of 74.[14] Tolson is buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington D.C., near Hoover's grave.[31]
Tolson has been depicted numerous times in novels, television, and movies, including:
"The strange likelihood is that Hoover never knew sexual desire at all."