Allan Pinkerton
Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the United States in 1842. Settling in the Chicago area, his first career was as a cooper. While wandering in the woods looking for wood to make barrel staves, he came across some counterfeiters and helped in their arrest. That led to Pinkerton being appointed as police detective in Cook County, Illinois, and later forming his own company--the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Pinkerton produced numerous books based on his...See more
Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the United States in 1842. Settling in the Chicago area, his first career was as a cooper. While wandering in the woods looking for wood to make barrel staves, he came across some counterfeiters and helped in their arrest. That led to Pinkerton being appointed as police detective in Cook County, Illinois, and later forming his own company--the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Pinkerton produced numerous books based on his work and that of his agents. The books no doubt reflect his views but obviously contain fictionalized and sanitized accounts; many historians, as well, believe he used a ghostwriter. See less
