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Allan Pinkerton (August 21, 1819 – July 1, 1884) was a Scottish-American cooper, abolitionist, detective, and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in the United States and his claim to have foiled a plot in 1861 to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln.
Apr 2, 2024 · Allan Pinkerton (born August 25, 1819, Glasgow, Scotland—died July 1, 1884, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) was a Scottish-born detective and founder of a famous American private detective agency. Pinkerton was the son of a police sergeant who died when Allan was a child, leaving the family in great poverty.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the life and career of Allan Pinkerton, the Scottish immigrant who founded America's first detective agency and fought against counterfeiters, slave raiders and outlaws. Find out how he failed to capture Jesse James and his gang in 1874.
- American Experience
Learn how Allan Pinkerton, a skilled detective and a dubious spymaster, helped protect President Lincoln and infiltrated the Confederacy during the Civil War. Discover his role in the plot to assassinate Lincoln, the execution of Timothy Webster, and the naval espionage of Mary Louveste.
- 4 min
- Its founder became a detective by accident. Allan Pinkerton, 1860. In 1842, Allan Pinkerton immigrated to the Chicago area and opened a cooperage or barrel-making business.
- The Pinkertons inspired the term 'private eye.' The Pinkerton agency first made its name in the late-1850s for hunting down outlaws and providing private security for railroads.
- They hired the nation’s first female detective. Kate Warne, the first female detective, helped save Abraham Lincoln's life. In 1856, 23-year-old widow Kate Warne walked into Pinkerton’s Chicago office and requested a job as a detective.
- The Pinkertons may have foiled an assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln. Shortly before Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration in March 1861, Allan Pinkerton traveled to Baltimore on a mission for a railroad company.
May 29, 2018 · Learn about the life and career of Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish immigrant who became a renowned detective and the head of the first government-authorized secret service in America. Discover how he fought crime, counterfeiting, and treason with his innovative methods and agents.
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Jul 31, 2020 · Learn about Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish immigrant who became a cooper, deputy sheriff, postal inspector, and founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. He protected President Lincoln, spied for the Union army, and suppressed labor strikes.
