Charles LeRoy Gittens
August 31, 1928 – July 27, 2011
The first African-American agent to join the Secret Service in 1956
Charles LeRoy Gittens, born on August 31, 1928, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and passing away on July 27, 2011, was a pioneering American Secret Service agent. He had a remarkable 23-year career with the USSS, marked by his continuous advancement through the ranks. His journey began in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then took him to various locations, including New York City, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and finally the Washington, DC field office. In recognition of his exceptional dedication and skills, he achieved the significant milestone of being promoted to special agent in charge in 1971.
Notably, Charles Gittens was a trailblazer who shattered racial barriers throughout his career. In 1977, he accomplished another historic feat by becoming the USSS’s first African-American deputy assistant director for the Office of Inspection. He held this esteemed position until his well-deserved retirement in 1979.
Early Life and Education:
- Charles LeRoy Gittens was born into a family of seven children.
- His father, originally from Barbados, worked as a contractor in the United States.
- Gittens left high school before graduating to enlist in the United States Army.
- During the Korean War, he served as a lieutenant and was stationed in Japan.
- While in the Army, he earned his GED.
- After the war, Gittens attended North Carolina Central University, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Spanish.
- He completed the university’s four-year program in just three years and became bilingual.
Career with the Secret Service:
- Gittens initially worked as a teacher in North Carolina.
- He was encouraged to take the civil service exam, leading to his recruitment into the United States Secret Service.
- He began his Secret Service career in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Gittens later became an investigator at the Secret Service’s field office in New York City, where he spent ten years.
- He was assigned to a specialized Secret Service unit focused on investigating bank fraud and counterfeiting.
- Gittens was subsequently transferred to the Secret Service’s field office in Puerto Rico, where he provided security for New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller during his 1969 trip to the Caribbean and Latin America.
- In 1971, Gittens was promoted to head the Secret Service’s field office in Washington, D.C.
- He retired from the Secret Service in 1979.
Post-Retirement Career:
- After retiring from the Secret Service, Gittens joined the United States Department of Justice.
- In this role, he led investigations into Nazi war criminals residing in the United States at the Department’s Office of Special Investigations.
Personal Life and Passing:
- Charles Gittens passed away at the age of 82 due to complications from a heart attack.
- He died at the Collington Episcopal Life Care Community, an assisted living facility in Mitchellville, Maryland, in 2011.
- Gittens had relocated to the facility from Fort Washington, Maryland, in 2010.
- His first wife, Ruthie, with whom he had one daughter, passed away in 1991.
- He and his second wife, Maureen, divorced.