George Wackenhut
Encyclopedia
George Russell Wackenhut (September 3, 1919 — December 31, 2004, Vero Beach, Florida
) was the founder of the Wackenhut
private security corporation. The son of William and Francis (Hogan) Wackenhut, he grew up in Upper Darby
, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and graduated from Upper Darby High School
in 1937. He was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 2000. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II and witnessed the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii
and a master's degree in education from Johns Hopkins University
, then taught classes in physical education and health.
In 1951, Wackenhut joined the FBI as a special agent in Indianapolis
and Atlanta, handling counterfeit money and bad-check cases and tracking down Army deserters. He resigned in 1954 to launch a private detective agency in Coral Gables, Florida
, with three other former agents. In 1958, he bought out his partners, renamed the company after himself and expanded into the security guard field, and went public in 1965. Even with a profit margin of 2.5 percent, the company's earnings allowed Wackenhut to live lavishly in homes scattered throughout the country. Until he moved to Vero Beach in 1995, his primary residence was a $10 million turreted mansion complete with moat near Miami decorated with firearms and medieval suits of armor. His house was wired with infrared and laser sensors, closed-circuit television monitors and photo-cell surveillance and had private radios for his family. In 1994, an authorized 800-page biography of Wackenhut by John Minahan, The Quiet American (ISBN 0-9639395-0-5), was published.
George Wackenhut was known as a hard-line right-winger. He built up dossiers on Americans suspected of being Communists or left-leaning "subversives and sympathizers" and sold the information to interested parties. Age of Surveillance by Frank Donner
(ISBN 0-394-74771-2) claims the Wackenhut Corporation maintained and updated its files even after the McCarthy
hysteria had ebbed, adding the names of antiwar protesters and civil rights
demonstrators to its list of "derogatory types." By 1965, Wackenhut was boasting to potential investors that the company maintained files on 2.5 million suspected dissidents - one in 46 American adults then living. In 1966, after acquiring the private files of Karl Barslaag, a former staff member of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Wackenhut could claim that with more than 4 million names, it had the largest privately held file on suspected dissidents in America. In 1975, after the US Congress investigated companies that had private files, Wackenhut gave its files to the now-defunct anti-Communist Church League of America of Wheaton
, Illinois
.
Wackenhut's main office featured a pair of chairs shaped like elephants, which he called "Republican
chairs," that had real tusks, as well as an autographed photo of Wackenhut shaking hands with George H. W. Bush
(whom Wackenhut used to call "that pinko
", according to Spy Magazine).
When he sold his company for $570 million in 2002, he owned more than 50 percent of its stock. Wackenhut died on 31 December 2004 of heart failure at the age of 85.
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
) was the founder of the Wackenhut
Wackenhut
G4S Secure Solutions is a private security company. It was founded as The Wackenhut Corporation in 1954, in Coral Gables, Florida, by George Wackenhut and three partners ....
private security corporation. The son of William and Francis (Hogan) Wackenhut, he grew up in Upper Darby
Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Darby Township is a home rule township bordering West Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Although it retains the term "Township" in its legal name, presumably for historic reasons, it is the largest municipality of any type in Delaware County. Upper Darby is also home to the Tower Theater, a...
, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and graduated from Upper Darby High School
Upper Darby High School
Upper Darby High School is a four-year public high school located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, United States, as part of the Upper Darby School District. UDHS is also the oldest high school in Delaware County, PA, having been established in 1895...
in 1937. He was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 2000. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II and witnessed the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
and a master's degree in education from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, then taught classes in physical education and health.
In 1951, Wackenhut joined the FBI as a special agent in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and Atlanta, handling counterfeit money and bad-check cases and tracking down Army deserters. He resigned in 1954 to launch a private detective agency in Coral Gables, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, with three other former agents. In 1958, he bought out his partners, renamed the company after himself and expanded into the security guard field, and went public in 1965. Even with a profit margin of 2.5 percent, the company's earnings allowed Wackenhut to live lavishly in homes scattered throughout the country. Until he moved to Vero Beach in 1995, his primary residence was a $10 million turreted mansion complete with moat near Miami decorated with firearms and medieval suits of armor. His house was wired with infrared and laser sensors, closed-circuit television monitors and photo-cell surveillance and had private radios for his family. In 1994, an authorized 800-page biography of Wackenhut by John Minahan, The Quiet American (ISBN 0-9639395-0-5), was published.
George Wackenhut was known as a hard-line right-winger. He built up dossiers on Americans suspected of being Communists or left-leaning "subversives and sympathizers" and sold the information to interested parties. Age of Surveillance by Frank Donner
Frank Donner
Frank Donner was a civil liberties lawyer, author and the director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Project on Political Surveillance...
(ISBN 0-394-74771-2) claims the Wackenhut Corporation maintained and updated its files even after the McCarthy
McCarthy
McCarthy may refer to:* McCarthy * McCarthy, Alaska* McCarthy , an indie pop band* MacCarthy , a Bordeaux wine* McCarthy Tétrault, a Canadian law firm...
hysteria had ebbed, adding the names of antiwar protesters and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
demonstrators to its list of "derogatory types." By 1965, Wackenhut was boasting to potential investors that the company maintained files on 2.5 million suspected dissidents - one in 46 American adults then living. In 1966, after acquiring the private files of Karl Barslaag, a former staff member of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Wackenhut could claim that with more than 4 million names, it had the largest privately held file on suspected dissidents in America. In 1975, after the US Congress investigated companies that had private files, Wackenhut gave its files to the now-defunct anti-Communist Church League of America of Wheaton
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Wackenhut's main office featured a pair of chairs shaped like elephants, which he called "Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
chairs," that had real tusks, as well as an autographed photo of Wackenhut shaking hands with George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
(whom Wackenhut used to call "that pinko
Pinko
Pinko is a term for a person regarded as being sympathetic to communism, though not necessarily a Communist Party member.The term has its origins in the notion that pink is a lighter shade of red, the color associated with communism...
", according to Spy Magazine).
When he sold his company for $570 million in 2002, he owned more than 50 percent of its stock. Wackenhut died on 31 December 2004 of heart failure at the age of 85.