© 2025 KOSU
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Abraham Bolden, first Black Secret Service agent on White House detail, pardoned by Biden

Abraham Bolden. (Courtesy)
Abraham Bolden. (Courtesy)

Abraham Bolden was the first Black man in the country to serve on a presidential detail, for former President John F. Kennedy.

In 1964, the former Secret Service agent was charged with allegedly attempting to sell a copy of a Secret Service file and served 39 months in prison.

Bolden, who has always maintained his innocence, discusses his recent pardon by President Biden, along with Cherese Williams, who helped Bolden to write his clemency petition.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

KOSU is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.