J Edgar Hoover: Cross-dresser extraordinaire?

What is the evidence that J Edgar Hoover was fond of women’s clothing? Was the Mob able to blackmail him for his alleged indiscretions?

I’m interested in this question, too. I know it’s gained popularity to say he cross-dressed, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the story comes from a single published source based on mob gossip.

Is my memory failing me?

Yes; the one “source” was a comment someone connected with the mob made to the effect that the reason he didn’t go after the mob was because they had pictures of him in dresses. There doesn’t seem to be any hard evidence to prove the case.

There were questions about Hoover’s sexuality – he never married and was usually seen with his friend Clyde Tolson. However, there is no proof of anything. Hoover came from a time where that sort of behavior was not a reliable sign of homosexuality.

David Halberstam in an interview said that while Hoover and Tolson were together constantly that he believed that the relationshiop was not actually consummated. But that’s just one author’s belief. However, while we think of Hoover as always having been an old men, he and Tolson were actually young at one time–and Tolson was quite a cutie when he was young.

I KNOW I’ve given a lengthy response to this question before, but can’t seem to find it… so, I may have to give the long story again. Sorry!

The main source for the legend that J. Edgar Hoover was a cross-dresser was a column by veteran New York reporter Pete Hammill. Years ago, he was hanging around with some low-level Mafia flunkies, guys he knew liked to gossip and tell tall tales about criminal life. Hammill, like his pal Jimmy Breeslin, has filled many a column on slow news days with funny anecdotes from such Wiseguys.

During this particular bull session, one mobster asked Hammill if he’d like to know the “real” reason the FBI never leaned heavily on the Mafia under J. Edgar Hoover.

Sidebar: this is a very good question, actually. In his term as FBI Director, Hoover never gave the Mafia much trouble, always downplayed the Mafia’s importance, and sometimes even suggested that the Mafia didn’t exist!

Hammill was intrigued, and asked for this “real” reason. The mobster told Hammill that Hoover was a closet homosexual who liked to dress in women’s clothing. He claimed that the top Mafia dons had photos of Hoover in drag, and used these photos to blackmail Hoover into leaving them alone.

When Hammill wrote a column that included this conversation, it caused a sensation, not surprisingly. Hoover had made a lot of enemies in his day, especially on the Left, and you can imagine how eager those enemies were to believe a story like that! (Heck, can you BLAME them?)

However, it’s worth noting: Hammill NEVER claimed to have seen such photos, and neither did any of the Mafiosi who told this story. Hammill has said that he doesn’t know for certain that Hoover was gay, let alone a cross-dresser.

Bottom line: the “evidence” that Hoover was a cross-dresser consists of Mafia gossip, nothing more. But so many people get a kick out of the story, I don’t expect it will ever disappear.

As long as we’re on the Hoover subject:

Does anyone have any insights into why Hoover specified (and got) some kind of super-heavy sealed-forever coffin with a grave as involiable as it could be made? I heard that it took 8 big military guys great effort to lug the casket up the capitol steps (he got to “lie in state” there), and that one was injured (back injury?) so ad to disable him from active duty. Perhaps none of this is true; if so, please dispel the rumor.

Also, isn’t Tolson buried next to Hoover?

I thought Hoover had showed up for a costume party in a dress once.

I would say the evidence was weak, to say the least.

Regards,
Shodan

What we know about Hoover’s relationship with Tolson.

Essentially there’s a lot of circumstantial evidence but nothing to prove that he was beyond a shadow of a doubt. Thus, his crossdressing probably can’t be proven either.

From the Washington Post National Weekly Edition, May 20-26, 2002.

Review of Ronald Kessler’s The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI

From the tone of the review, the book is extremely critical of the FBI and not in any way a whitewash, so Kessler would not automatically clear Hoover unless he felt the evidence wasn’t there for the charge.

Thanks for the feedback. From my web surfing, it appears that Anthony Summers is the highest profile advocate for the story.

A set of books related to this suspiciously salacious rumor are here: http://www.queertheory.com/histories/h/hoover_j_edgar.htm

Summers claims are recounted here: http://www.thebird.org/host/dcdave/article4/011118.html

Apparently, one Susan Rosenstiel alleges that she attended a tryst at the Plaza (overlooking Central Park) with her husband, Roy Kohn, J Edgar Hoover (“wearing a fluffy black dress, very fluffy, with flounces, and lace stockings and high heels, and a black curly wig… makeup… false eyelashes… a very short skirt, and he was sitting there in the living room of the suite with his legs crossed.” ), and a couple of boy toys. This allegedly occured in 1958.