Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Flag of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Incumbent James Comey since September 4, 2013
U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation
Reports to	Attorney General Director of National Intelligence
Seat	J. Edgar Hoover Building, District of Columbia, U.S.
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	10 years
Inaugural holder	Stanley Finch (BOI) John Edgar Hoover (FBI)
Formation	1908 (as Chief of the BOI)
Deputy	Deputy Director
Website	www.fbi.gov

The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and responsible to the Attorney General for its operations. The FBI Director is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.^[1][2]

The current Director of the FBI is James Comey, who assumed office on September 4, 2013.

Responsibilities

Along with the Deputy Director, the Director ensures cases and operations are handled correctly. The Director also is in charge of staffing the leadership in any one of the FBI field offices with qualified agents. The Director briefed the president on any issues that arose from within the FBI until the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 was enacted in response to the September 11 attacks. Since then, the director reports to the Director of National Intelligence, who in turn reports to the President.^[3]

Lists of officeholders

Bureau of Investigation chiefs and directors (1908 to 1935)

When the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) was established in 1908, its head was called the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation.^[4] It was changed to the Director of the Bureau of Investigation since the term of William J. Flynn (1919–1921), and to its current name when the BOI was renamed FBI in 1935.

#	Picture	Name	Term [4]	Length	Notes	President(s)*
1		Finch, StanleyStanley Finch	July 26, 1908 – April 30, 1912	3 years, 279 days	First Chief, then Director of the BOI	Theodore Roosevelt; William H. Taft
2		Bielaski, A. BruceA. Bruce Bielaski	April 30, 1912 – February 10, 1919	6 years, 286 days		William H. Taft; Woodrow Wilson
-		Allen, William E.William E. Allen	February 10, 1919 – June 30, 1919	140 days	Acting Director	Woodrow Wilson
3		Flynn, William J.William J. Flynn	July 1, 1919 – August 21, 1921	2 years, 51 days		Woodrow Wilson; Warren Harding
4		Burns, William J.William J. Burns	August 22, 1921 – May 10, 1924	2 years, 262 days		Warren Harding; Calvin Coolidge
5		Hoover, John EdgarJohn Edgar Hoover	May 10, 1924 – June 30, 1935	11 years, 51 days	Director of the BOI	Calvin Coolidge; Herbert Hoover; Franklin D. Roosevelt

Federal Bureau of Investigation directors (1935 to present)

The FBI Director is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.^[1][2] J. Edgar Hoover, appointed by Calvin Coolidge to the predecessor office of Director of the Bureau of Investigation in 1924, was by far the longest-serving director; he held the position from its establishment under the current title in 1935 until his death in 1972. In response to Hoover's lengthy tenure, Congress imposed a term limit of ten years for future directors, which was waived by the Senate for Robert Mueller on July 27, 2011 due to serious security concerns at that time.^[5] In theory, they serve ten-year terms unless they resign, die, or are removed, but in reality, since J. Edgar Hoover, none have served a full ten years, except Robert Mueller, who served twelve years.

	Picture	Name	Term[4]	Length	Notes	President(s)*
1		Hoover, John EdgarJohn Edgar Hoover	July 1, 1935 – May 2, 1972	36 years, 306 days	Director of the FBI; died from a heart attack at his Washington, D.C., home on May 2, 1972.	Franklin D. Roosevelt; Harry Truman; Dwight Eisenhower; John F. Kennedy; Lyndon Johnson; Richard Nixon
—		Gray, L. PatrickL. Patrick Gray	May 3, 1972 – April 27, 1973	359 days	Acting Director of the FBI	Richard Nixon
—		Ruckelshaus, WilliamWilliam Ruckelshaus	April 30, 1973 – July 9, 1973	70 days	Acting Director of the FBI	Richard Nixon
2		Kelley, Clarence M.Clarence M. Kelley	July 9, 1973 – February 15, 1978	4 years, 221 days		Richard Nixon; Gerald Ford; Jimmy Carter
—		Adams, James B.James B. Adams	February 15, 1978 – February 23, 1978	8 days	Associate Director of the FBI; Acting Director	Jimmy Carter
3		Webster, William H.William H. Webster	February 23, 1978 – May 25, 1987	9 years, 91 days		Jimmy Carter; Ronald Reagan
—		Otto, John E.John E. Otto	May 26, 1987 – November 2, 1987	160 days	Deputy Director of the FBI; Acting Director	Ronald Reagan
4		Sessions, William S.William S. Sessions	November 2, 1987 – July 19, 1993	5 years, 259 days		Ronald Reagan; George H.W. Bush; Bill Clinton
—		Clarke, Floyd I.Floyd I. Clarke	July 19, 1993 – September 1, 1993	44 days	Deputy Director of the FBI; Acting Director	Bill Clinton
5		Freeh, LouisLouis Freeh	September 1, 1993 – June 25, 2001	7 years, 297 days		Bill Clinton ; George W. Bush
—		Pickard, Thomas J.Thomas J. Pickard	June 25, 2001 – September 4, 2001	71 days	Deputy Director of the FBI; Acting Director	George W. Bush
6		Mueller, RobertRobert Mueller	September 4, 2001 – September 4, 2013	12 years, 0 days		George W. Bush; Barack Obama
7		Comey, JamesJames Comey	September 4, 2013 – present	2 years, 48 days		Barack Obama

• - Appointing Presidents in italics. Senate confirmation of nominee was required after 1972.

References

1. 28 U.S.C. §532 note. Confirmation and Compensation of Director; Term of Service Legal Information Institute
2. FBI Director: Appointment and Tenure Congressional Research Service
3. FBI Intelligence Reform Since September 11, 2001: Issues and Options for Congress
4. "The FBI Director: Background on the Position". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
5. "Senate Extends Term of F.B.I. Director". New York Times. 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-09-13.

External links

• www.fbi.gov