Statement on the Resignation of Eljay B. Bowron as Director of the United States Secret Service,
April 2, 1997

Eljay Bowron has done a superb job as Director of the United States Secret Service, and I am accepting his resignation with regret. I have great admiration for what he has accomplished during his service to our country.

For 23 years, Eljay Bowron has focused his intelligence, judgment, and deep professionalism on implementing, improving, and reforming the critical national missions of the United States Secret Service. Following his tenure with the Detroit Police Department, Eljay began his career as a special agent in the Chicago field office. From there, he engaged successfully in a series of assignments investigating crimes, especially counterfeiting and financial crimes, serving in the Secret Service’s intelligence division, and finally participating in the Secret Service’s protective mission.

As Director, Eljay has been fond of saying, "When you stop changing, you stop growing," and this reformist instinct marked a tenure of great accomplishment. Before strategic planning initiatives were a regular part of Government management, Eljay formed teams to examine every Secret Service function. He changed the way Secret Service agents are trained; he consolidated the agency’s forgery and financial crime investigative units; he made a powerful case for closing Pennsylvania Avenue; and he led the production of the new currency with anticounterfeiting improvements. For these reasons and more, his tenure as Director will long be remembered by admirers of law enforcement and the Secret Service.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Eljay’s wife, Sandy, and his son, Brandon, for accepting the pressures and difficulties that arise from being a part of the Secret Service family. They endured a number of moves, as many Secret Service families do, from one great American city to another. I hope that Eljay’s decision to join Ameritech will mean greater freedom for Eljay to enjoy Brandon’s interest in baseball and development as a pitcher. Family means so much to Eljay—you can see that with the pride he exhibits in carrying and keeping his father’s badge from the Detroit Police Department. Eljay’s father would be very proud of his accomplishments, especially on this day.

On behalf of my family, the Vice President and his family, the former Presidents and their families, indeed on behalf of everyone who has felt the reassurance of being in the care of the Secret Service agents led by Eljay Bowron, let me thank the distinguished Director of the U.S. Secret Service for his remarkable devotion to duty and our country. He will be missed.