Pinkerton National Detective Agency
Pinkerton, AllanAllan Pinkerton, illustration from Harper's Weekly, vol. 28, July 1884
Pinkerton National Detective Agency, American independent police force that was founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton (1819β84), former deputy sheriff of Cook county, Illinois. It originally specialized in railway theft cases, protecting trains and apprehending train robbers. It solved the $700,000 Adams Express Co. theft in 1866, and in 1861 it thwarted an assassination plot against President-elect Abraham Lincoln. It later participated in antilabour union activities (see Homestead Strike). It was instrumental in breaking up the Molly Maguires, a secret organization of coal miners.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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Article Title:
Pinkerton National Detective Agency
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
06 November 2026
Access Date:
November 14, 2026