Former Director of the U.S. Secret Service Brian Stafford spoke in Copley Formal Lounge Monday, describing the close calls and working relationship with four presidents during his 33-year career in the organization.

“I had a front row seat to history,” Stafford said.

Stafford began his time in the organization after returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam, protecting Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Stafford told stories about his interactions with the presidents he served, describing Reagan as a practical joker.

“[Reagan] was the kind of guy who had a joke for you every day and expected a joke in return,” he said.

Stafford also discussed the difficulty his job presented in protecting politicians, who often seek public exposure, offering an anecdote from his time in the Clinton administration.

When Clinton once asked him to stop his car in a bad neighborhood, Stafford said he pretended he could not hear him. On the third request, Clinton jokingly threw his newspaper at Stafford and said, “I know at least one of the agents in this car isn’t deaf.”

For some students in attendance, these anecdotes were the highlight of Stafford’s talk.

“It was really cool to hear firsthand experiences of what it is like to be working next to the president on a day-to-day basis,” Brooke Heinichen (SFS ’12) said.

In addition to sharing the challenges he faced in trying to maintain control of security when the president travelled overseas, Stafford discussed that the U.S. Secret Service handles security when foreign heads of state travel here.

“It’s the ugly American syndrome,” he said. “We’re in charge here, and we’re in charge in their country. And they point that out to us regularly.”

In addition to sharing his experience working in the Secret Service, Stafford discussed the history of the agency. During his tenure, the Secret Service switched from primarily investigating counterfeit money to providing security for the president.

He also encouraged students to consider a career in the Secret Service, explaining the many different career paths available within the agency.

Numerous times throughout the talk, Stafford emphasized his devotion to the Secret Service and his pride in his career.

“It was a labor of love,” he said.

Now that he has retired, Stafford hopes to make the Secret Service a family tradition. Just before he retired, his son joined the organization.

“The most exciting thing was swearing in my son, passing the torch.”