J. Edgar Hoover spent his entire life in Washington. He was born on Capitol Hill and lived there until he was 43. With his mother.
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When Mother Hoover dies J. Edgar buys the house above in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Washington. He dies here in his sleep, his body discovered on a May 1972 morning by his housekeeper. When news that Hoover has passed on to his reward gets out, a certain nervousness descends upon some in Washington.
See, Hoover was feared in Washington for the secret files he allegedly kept containing compromising information on everyone from the president on down. It’s why he remained FBI director for 48 years. Every president was afraid to fire him.
Learning of Hoover’s death President Nixon reportedly orders staff members to get Hoover’s secret files. But by the time they arrive at the FBI Hoover’s secretary destroyed whatever files there were, per her late boss’s orders.
Hoover left this house and his entire estate to Clyde Tolson, his deputy and close friend. Tolson also accepted the flag that draped Hoover’s casket. Tolson moves in and lives here until his death. He is buried a few graves down from Hoover at Congressional Cemetery.
