Many people are fascinated with private detectives and the history of how this profession came into existence. One of the most famous American private detectives is Allan Pinkerton, who also founded the Pinkerton Agency. Here is a little about this very interesting, and often misunderstood, private detectives.
Pinkerton was born in Scotland on August 25, 1819. Before coming to America in 1842, he worked as a barrel maker. Upon arriving in the US, he goes to Chicago, where he settles down for a time. His skills at barrel making landed him his first job at Lill’s Brewery. But, the man was not happy with this work, and decided that he needed to work for himself if he wanted any chance of moving up the social ladder. He packed up his family and moved some 40 miles away where he set up his own barrel making business.
Pinkerton did well at his own business, mostly because of the high quality he demanded from his workers. Deciding he could save money by cutting his own trees, Pinkerton visited a local island for wood but found what looked like a counterfeiting set up. Telling the local police, he and they arrested the outlaws but missed catching the leader. Pinkerton went about hunting this person down and soon enough found him. He was appointed deputy sheriff for Kane County and then, in 1850, Pinkerton became first police detective for the city of Chicago.
Pinkerton’s brother, Robert, started his own business providing security for many railroads and then for Wells Fargo. Allan soon joined with this brother and they names the company, Pinkerton National Detective Agency. They provided different types of detective services that ranged from providing security guards to setting up private military contractors. Most other agencies at the time were less successful because they were less professional than the Pinkerton boys.
It was the Pinkerton’s who discovered an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln in 1861. During the Civil War, the Pinkerton’s were hired to set up what would become the Secret Service. Once the war was over, the agency worked many times with state governments, stage coach companies, and railroads. They were involved with tracking down many famous outlaws such as the Reno brothers, Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and many more.
The company logo contained a black and white eye with the motto, “We Never Sleep”. It was this logo that later brought about the “private eye” moniker for private detectives.
Robert Pinkerton died in 1868, and Allan took over the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He did not last long as only a year later he had a stroke that left him paralyzed. The sons of the two brothers took over running the company but they were not successful and the company began to suffer both in terms of leadership and financially.
The agency was famous for its vast collection of mug shots and its modern database of crimes and criminals. They employed huge numbers of detectives at times, often outnumbering the US Army. In1871, during the Great Chicago Fire, the Pinkerton building and its contents were destroyed.
Allan Pinkerton died in 1884, and the detective agency was given to Robert and William, Allan’s sons. The sons were soon embroiled in controversy as they partook in beating down several labor strikes, and were accused of using illegal tactics such as throwing a bomb into Jesse James’ mother’s home. In 1892, the agency killed 11 people during the Homestead Strike. All of this and more, severely discredited the company with the general public.
Over the decades since, the company has regained much of its original respect and is now known as Pinkerton’s Inc.
