William Harris Tidwell

Narrative:

     William Harris Tidwell was born on 26 Nov 1869 in Jackson, Tennessee.^8,9,10
     He appeared on the 1870 Federal Census of Madison Co., Tennessee, in the household of his parents, Joseph D. Tidwell and Eliza Harris, in the household of W. and M. A. Tidwell, apparently his father's parents.¹⁵ He appeared on the 1880 Federal Census of Madison Co., Tennessee, in the household of his parents.⁵
     William appeared on the 1900 Federal Census of Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee, at 99 Madison, enumerated 7 Jun 1900, boarding, with five other men, in the home of Elizabeth Little and her four teenage children.¹⁶
     William married Emma Williams Tuck, daughter of Dr. Henry Davis Tuck and Elizabeth John A. Smith, on 5 Dec 1900 in Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky, with William Irvine officiating.^11,12
     William and Emma settled in Memphis after their marriage.¹⁷ They moved to California before 1910. They appeared on the 1910 Federal Census of San Francisco, California, at 695 Bush St., enumerated 26 Apr 1910, reporting that they rented their appartment.²

A Career Customs Agent --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     He began working for the federal customs service about 1894. About 1910 he became a special agent for the U.S. Treasury and was made chief of the department in San Francisco. While there he became involved in a number of high profile cases.^18,19,20,21
     In his early years in the San Francisco office the department was focused on the opium trade. In one example of many, in Jun 1910 William was involved in a case against a "restaurant" called Steve's Place, where inspectors found no food, but quantities of opuim that had been imported through Mexico into El Paso, Texas. Ledgers found showed the place was taking in $33 per day.²² In another example, on 1 Jun 1911 a team of customs officers under his direction boarded the America Maru when it docked in San Francisco from Hong Kong. They found half a ton of opium, worth $27,000, hidden in cans in the ship's water tank.²³
     In Feb 1912 William was involved in a case that brought considerable press attention. Mrs. F. H. Beaver, a prominent San Francisco socialite, obtained four Parisian gowns which she declared worth 1400 francs, or $280, for customs purposes. They were found to actually be worth 2200 francs. The dispute, and newpaper coverage, continued for some months.²⁴

His Reputation Grows --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     In early 1913 William's office investigated the practices of Western Fuel Company, the major supplier of coal on the west coast. Initially the company was suspected of claiming larger amounts of coal was delivered to U.S. flag ships than was used. Customs duties on foreign coal were refunded when it was used to fuel U.S. ships, thus the company would collect larger "drawbacks" than it was entitled to. Then evidence was found of short-weighting coal sold to the Government to fuel military ships. Eight officials of the firm were indicted 19 Feb 1913. Three of them were convicted 17 Feb 1914 and the government filed suits to collect the amounts that had been lost to the fraud.^25,26 The civil suits, which asked for a total of over $1,000,000, were settled in Mar 1917 for $95,000. The actual losses to the Government were estimated at $42,000, and the cost of prosecution at $25,000.²⁷
     He was named a member of a committee to "expert" the special agents' branch of the Treasury Department, with a view to simplifying and modernizing the system. He spent a month and a half in Washington on the project, and visited every office of the special agents in the country. He returned home in Jun 1916 in Jun 1916.²⁸
     He was promoted in Apr 1917 to head the special Intelligence Bureau that was established after the U.S. entered the war. He was to coordinate the efforts of the investigating divisions San Francisco offices of the Department of Justice, Postal Inspector, Secret Service, and U.S. Attorney, on alien activity matters. In that role he was involved in a number of activities to improve security, including, in Apr 1918, the suspension of telephone service between the U.S. and Mexico. This was intended to keep information about military preparations from reaching German agents in Mexico in Apr 1917 in San Francisco.^29,30
     William and Emma appeared on the 1920 Federal Census of San Francisco, California, at 1106 Bush St., enumerated 12 Jan 1920, reporting that they rented their appartment.³
     On 15 Jan 1920 William was named chief field investigator in a high-profile case involving suspected massive fraud by west coast shipyards during the War. Press coverage if the event called him a "famous investigator." A number of shipyard officials were indicted, but apparently none were convicted. Still, government prosecutors said in September that the investigation had "resulted in the saving of large sums of money to the government."^31,32
     The federal government announced 10 Nov 1920 that it was stepping up its efforts to combat illicit whisky traffic in San Francisco. The federal prohibition director would double its force, and William would take full charge of the inquiry.³³

Leaving San Francisco --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     William was transferred to New Orleans 1 Feb 1922.³⁴
     William and Emma moved to Illinois by 1930. They appeared on the 1930 Federal Census of Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois, at 1161 Lunt Ave., enumerated 4 Apr 1930, reporting that they rented their apartment for $85 per month, and owned a radio.³⁵
     He was a supervising customs agent in Chicago. On 16 Apr 1936 300 people attended a dinner honoring him for 42 years of service with the customs service, apparently a retirement event, though accounts do not state that.^36,37
     William and Emma moved to Tennessee, where she had family, after 1936. They appeared on the 1940 Federal Census of Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee, at 1535 Vance Ave., enumerated 19 Apr 1940, reporting they were renting their home, for $53 per month, and had lived in Chicago in 1935.³⁸
     In 1940 he reported he was not working or seeking work, but had worked 48 weeks the prior year, earning over $5,000. Whether he had remained in the customs service until then or had other employment is unclear.³⁸
     William died on 9 Jan 1950 in Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee, at age 80.^6,13 He was buried on 11 Jan 1950 in Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee.^6,14