William Burns is best known as 'America's Sherlock Holmes' and was director of the FBI, shortly before J. Edgar Hoover. But before he became director, Burns had a long, highly publicized career as a detective for the Secret Service, then led the famed Burns International Detective Agency, which competed with his rival, the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

William Burns is best known as ‘America’s Sherlock Holmes’ and became director at the Bureau of Investigation, to be immediately followed by J. Edgar Hoover. But before he became director, Burns had a long, highly publicized career as a government detective for the Secret Service, then as the head of the famed Burns International Detective Agency, which he founded after leaving government service.
These successes encouraged Burns to start his own agency and he successfully competed with his hated rival, the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He was a public hero for many years (except among labor union men who remembered his questionable tactics in the notorious McNamara case involving the bombing of the Los Angeles Times). But to the general populace, he was a white knight protecting the public interest until he disgraced his government office.