Allan Pinkerton

Allan Pinkerton and Clients

Allan Pinkerton, the founder of America's first detective agency, was born on this date in 1819. Trained as a cooper, Pinkerton made a career change to investigations after he uncovered and captured a band of counterfeiters in Illinois. He was made Chicago's first police detective, and in 1850 he resigned from the police force to set up his own agency. Pinkerton became famous when he discovered a plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln in 1861. Later he was involved in developing the first secret service in the US. He pursued Jesse James, the Dalton gangs and the Wild Bunch, and contracted his men out to corporations with labor problems. In the 1870s, Pinkerton's men infiltrated the Molly Maguires, and were instrumental in having members of the organization tried and hanged for murder.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, August 25, 2009