Our History

Political patronage. A vengeful assassin. A President's death.

Thus began the story that eventually led to the emergence of USIS as the largest investigative services company on the North American continent.

Assassination of Garfield

When President James A. Garfield decided in 1881 that federal positions should be awarded by merit, and not according to political patronage, he sealed his fate. He was assassinated by Charles Guiteau, in an act of vengeance when Guiteau hadn't received the government position he expected for his support of Garfield.

Civil Service Commission Established

The outrage over Garfield's death generated a national movement, which eventually resulted in the establishment of the Civil Service Commission in 1883. One of its duties was to oversee the investigation of the background, suitability, and loyalty of employees and applicants for federal positions.

For almost half a century, that responsibility was in our province as the Investigations Service arm of the Office of Personnel Management.

Formation of USIS

On July 8, 1996, USIS was formed on the initiative of the President and Congress as an employee-owned company. USIS is steeped in the tradition of providing high-quality, timely investigative services to its customers.

Today, USIS is the industry leader in employment background and drug screening services. USIS is recognized as a primary resource for business information and due diligence services and the pre-eminent supplier of national security and administrative staffing support for U.S. government programs here and abroad.