The Washington Post in its Dec. 2, 1900, edition had the following headline for a story.

“Came to see the President. Insane tailor taken into custody by the police.”

The headline in the Post illustrated an enormous problem facing the United States: how to protect the president from harm in the future. The United States was becoming a world power, but the country provided inadequate protection for its leader.

The president since the founding of the country had always been provided minimal security. Two assassinations in the last 40 years had been the result of the United States policy of providing inadequate protection for the president. Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated in 1865 at the theater while his security guard had been taking a break. President James Garfield, without any security, was fatally shot in 1881 by an insane office seeker while entering the Washington train station.

There were two different groups that were a threat to harm the president. The first group was an individual with mental issues, as illustrated previously.

The second group and a more serious threat were anarchists. The United States looked at Europe and saw since 1894 that anarchists had murdered the president of France, the premier of Spain, the empress of Austria, and the king of Italy. The European countries had begun a systematic crackdown of anarchists within their countries borders by arresting them. Many of the European anarchists were fleeing Europe to escape the police crackdown and immigrating to the United States.

The responsibility of protecting President William McKinley was provided by three different security forces. The White House Police protected the president within the White House and its grounds. The Washington Police provided security when the president ventured out into the city. The Secret Service provided a small contingent of agents as a courtesy to the president when he traveled outside of Washington.

The Secret Service’s primary responsibility since its founding in 1865 was to investigate and arrest counterfeiters. The Secret Service had only provided round the clock protection to the president — as a courtesy — twice: President Grover Cleveland, from 1894 to 1897 because of threats against his life; and President McKinley during the Spanish-American War.

The Los Angeles Times in its Aug. 19, 1900, edition provided a snapshot of the security in place for President McKinley at the White House and when he was traveling:

“The safeguarding of the life of President McKinley from anarchists, or the more feared class, cranks, is divided equally between the United States Secret Service and the Washington Police Department, says a special to the World from Washington. To reach the President while in Washington, one must be known to have trustworthy credentials and even then, every visitor is under constant surveillance and a menacing move would be instantly arrested by one of the attaches at the White House or the Secret Service or local detectives constantly on guard at the executive mansion. George E. Foster, one of the most trustworthy men in the Secret Service, is charged with guarding the life of President McKinley at all times when he is not at the White House. Foster travels in the same car, stands on the steps when the President appears, and is always on guard at the door of the car.”

“Charles Tharom, a Swede, who is known as “Frenchy” to the White House employees, acts as the President’s valet and also is in the Secret Service. He is virtually the President’s bodyguard. His wife is Mrs. McKinley’s maid. The two mount guard over the President and Mrs. McKinley every time they take a trip or stop at a strange place and it is their duty to see that no one approaches the private apartment or the President and his wife.”

In addition to Foster and Tharom, there are several reliable detectives from the Secret Service at Washington detailed to accompany the President when he is away from Washington. At the White House, no one is allowed to enter except at the front door.”

In the fall of 1901, the president’s security force will be tested.

Patrick Finan of Cortland is the retired former library director of the McKinley Memorial Library in Niles.