In 1901, President McKinley was assassinated during one of his speeches during the Buffalo World’s Fair. This event was the main motivation for the Secret Service’s new role of protecting the President. Prior to McKinley’s assassination, the Secret Service concerned itself only with the detection and combat of counterfeit currency. McKinley’s death marked the third assassinated US President, a figure that could not be ignored. This 1901 eagle recalls both the death of a President and the birth of a new look to the United States Secret Service.