After studying business in Chicago in the 1920s, this man obsessed with Sherlock Holmes was an investigator for a credit company

Tuesday’s Final Jeopardy! clue in the category 20th-Century Figures offered a glimpse into the early life of a man who would later become a major American icon. The clue read: “After studying business in Chicago in the 1920s, this man obsessed with Sherlock Holmes was an investigator for a credit company.” Contestants needed to think beyond the obvious and look toward a figure tied to both finance and law enforcement history.

Who is Eliot Ness?

The correct response was: Who is Eliot Ness? While widely known today as a legendary lawman and leader of “The Untouchables,” Ness’s career did not begin with high-profile criminal pursuits. Before gaining national fame during Prohibition, he started his professional life working for the Retail Credit Company, an early form of consumer reporting agency. This background provided the foundation for the investigative skills he would later use against some of America’s most notorious criminals.

Eliot Ness’s Early Career and Education

Eliot Ness attended the University of Chicago, where he earned a degree in business and law enforcement studies. During his time there, he developed a deep admiration for Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ness admired Holmes’s methods of deduction and precision, traits that would heavily influence his own approach to investigations later in his life.

Following his graduation in the mid-1920s, Ness took a job with the Retail Credit Company, which later became Equifax. His responsibilities involved investigating credit histories and assessing the financial trustworthiness of individuals and businesses. Although not as glamorous as the work that would later define his career, this role sharpened his ability to analyze details, conduct interviews, and organize investigations—skills crucial to his eventual success in law enforcement.

The Transition to Law Enforcement

Ness’s analytical skills caught the attention of officials at the U.S. Treasury Department. In 1927, he joined the Bureau of Prohibition, a branch of the Treasury, where he was tasked with combating the illegal alcohol trade in Chicago during Prohibition. His work ultimately led him to Al Capone, the infamous gangster whose empire depended heavily on bootlegging operations.

In leading a small, elite team of agents known as “The Untouchables,” Ness applied his disciplined, methodical mindset, inspired by his early credit investigations and his fascination with Sherlock Holmes. The group became known for their incorruptibility and their successful efforts to dismantle portions of Capone’s empire, contributing to Capone’s eventual conviction on tax evasion charges.

Later Years and Legacy

Although Ness never achieved the same level of fame after his battles against organized crime, he continued working in public service roles, including as Director of Public Safety in Cleveland. He also made several unsuccessful runs for political office. In the final years of his life, Ness struggled financially and professionally, and he died in relative obscurity in 1957 at the age of fifty-four.

However, Eliot Ness’s legacy was revived through popular culture, notably with the 1957 memoir The Untouchables and its subsequent television and film adaptations. These portrayals cemented Ness’s image as a determined and honest lawman, a reputation built on skills he first developed as a credit investigator in Chicago.

Final Thoughts on the April 29 Final Jeopardy

Tuesday’s clue highlighted an important but often overlooked part of Eliot Ness’s story—the formative period before he became a household name. By emphasizing his academic background and early professional experience, Jeopardy! offered contestants and viewers a fuller picture of how Ness’s interest in deduction and methodical investigation shaped the course of his career. It was a reminder that legendary figures are often shaped by humble beginnings and that success in the public eye is usually built on years of preparation behind the scenes.