Where Was Lincoln’s Bodyguard at Ford’s Theatre?
When Abraham Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, his protection detail wasn’t what it is today for a president. President Lincoln’s protection that night was incredibly lean, as he had only one guard assigned to protect him, and that guard went missing when Lincoln needed him most.
The Secret Service had been created in 1865, ironically on the same day Lincoln was assassinated, but its job was to stamp out counterfeit currency. The Secret Service didn’t start protecting the president full-time until 1902. The situation involving Lincoln’s protection wasn’t unusual for the time. He often rode a horse unescorted and did other activities without guards. Lincoln wasn’t fazed by the threats posed to his safety.
On the day of the play at Ford’s Theatre, Lincoln was guarded by a four-man security detail around the clock. But only one man, a Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police officer named John Frederick Parker, was assigned to guard Lincoln during the play.
Parker was a strange choice to have as Lincoln’s primary bodyguard. His record was littered with reports of drinking on duty, unreliability, and frequenting a brothel. He had been brought before the police board numerous times but had only received reprimands for his conduct. But somehow in November 1864, he was selected as one of four…
