Allan Pinkerton

Born in Glasgow in 1819, he trained as a cooper before emigrating to the United States in the 1840s and settling near Chicago. While still working at his trade, he helped uncover criminal activity and moved into law enforcement, eventually becoming known for sharp investigative work and strong antislavery views.

In 1850 he founded what became the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, one of the best-known private detective organizations in American history. During the Civil War he also carried out intelligence work for the Union, and he later became widely associated with the claim that he helped foil an 1861 plot against Abraham Lincoln.

Pinkerton wrote memoirs and detective narratives as well, helping shape his own legend for later readers. He died in Chicago in 1884, but his name remained closely tied to the rise of private detectives, railroad security, and the mythology of crime-solving in 19th-century America.