author
Allan Pinkerton
1819–1884
A Scottish-born reformer turned detective, he built one of the most famous private investigation agencies in American history. His life also crossed paths with abolitionist activism, Civil War intelligence work, and the enduring legend that he helped protect Abraham Lincoln before the president-elect reached Washington.
8 Audiobooks
The Spy of the Rebellion Being a True History of the Spy System of the United States Army during the Late Rebellion
by Allan Pinkerton
The Expressman and the Detective
by Allan Pinkerton
The Somnambulist and the Detective; The Murderer and the Fortune Teller
by Allan Pinkerton
The Spiritualists and the Detectives
by Allan Pinkerton
Bucholz and the Detectives
by Allan Pinkerton
The Burglar's Fate, and The Detectives
by Allan Pinkerton
Mississippi Outlaws and the Detectives Don Pedro and the Detectives; Poisoner and the Detectives
by Allan Pinkerton
The Molly Maguires and the detectives
by Allan Pinkerton
About the author
Born in Glasgow in 1819, Allan Pinkerton trained as a cooper before emigrating to the United States. After settling near Chicago, he moved from trade work into law enforcement and in 1850 founded the agency that became the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, a name that would become synonymous with private investigation.
Pinkerton's career reached far beyond ordinary detective work. Sources consistently describe him as an abolitionist, and during the Civil War he organized intelligence operations for the Union. He is especially remembered for his claim that he uncovered a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln in Baltimore in 1861, helping the president-elect travel safely to Washington.
He also wrote memoirs and detective stories that helped shape his public image, blending real cases with dramatic storytelling. Pinkerton died in Chicago in 1884, but his name remained woven into American history through crime writing, espionage lore, and the long afterlife of the agency he created.