Allan J. Pinkerton (1819 – 1884) was a Scottish cooper, abolitionist, detective, and spy. He is also the founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
Biography[]
In 1850, Pinkerton founded his own detective agency, initially specializing in foiling train robberies and counterfeiting cases. Following saving President Abraham Lincoln from an assassination attempt, Pinkerton was hired full-time to act as his secret service.[1]
On 3 October 1862, Pinkerton met with President Lincoln and Major General John A. McClernand, upon the main eastern theater of the Battle of Antietam.[1]
Pinkerton's agency quickly garnered a reputation by the 1870s as the largest private law enforcement organization in the world.[1]
Gallery[]
Pinkerton meeting with Lincoln and McClernand, 1862