Allan Pinkerton - Chicago IL - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

He is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago IL

Description: From Find A Grave: Civil War Union Detective. Born in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland, the son of Isabell and William Pinkerton, an ex-policeman removed from active service after an on duty injury. William died in a political riot in Glasgow, and Pinkerton left school to support his family, becoming a runner for a pattern maker. He then apprenticed as a cooper in the McCauley Cooperage Works. Pinkerton became active in the Chartist Movement which advocated political and social reform. On his 1842 wedding day to Joan Carfrae, Pinkerton and his bride boarded a ship for the United States just ahead of soldiers holding a warrant for his arrest based on his political activities. Upon his arrival in the US, he settled in Dundee, Illinois. In 1849, Pinkerton was appointed as the first detective in Chicago. In 1850, he partnered with Chicago attorney Edward Rucker in forming the North-Western Police Agency, the first legitimate private investigation agency. The partnership was dissolved within a year and Pinkerton operated the agency himself. By 1852 it became known as the Pinkerton Agency. The comapany logo was the now famous unblinking eye and the motto "We Never Sleep." Pinkerton and his men earned a reputation for both toughness and efficiency. The Pinkerton Agency became well known for its investigative work in union activities. The agency also solved a series of train robberies during the 1850s. Pinkerton was hired as President-elect Abraham Lincoln's bodyguard, and the agency uncovered a plot to assassinate the President as he travelled to his inauguration. Lincoln agreed to follow any of Pinkerton's instructions on security measures, and the plot was foiled. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Pinkerton became head of the Union Intelligence Service. Following Pinkerton's service with the Union Army, he continued his pursuit of train robbers. The Pinkerton Agency's pursuit of the outlaws Frank and Jesse James was legendary, and they were often hired as strike-breakers, although their tactics were sometimes less than scrupulous. In later years, Pinkerton wrote detective stories. In 1884, Pinkerton slipped on a Chicago street, and when his chin hit the pavement, his tongue was severely lacerated. A gangrenous infection which then set in proved fatal. At the time of his death, he was working on a system that would centralize all criminal identification records; an idea utilized and maintained in the present day by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Pinkerton was inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. His sons, Robert and William, kept the agency going after his death, eventually turning from detective work to security work. The company still exists today under another name. Date of birth: 08/25/1819 Date of death: 07/01/1884 Area of notoriety: Law Enforcement Marker Type: Monument Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: None Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.

We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark. However, only respectful photographs are allowed. Logs which include photographs representing any form of disrespectful behavior (including those showing personal items placed on or near the grave location) will be subject to deletion.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   04/28/2023 sundevil1994 visited it 10/09/2021 Don.Morfe visited it

View all visits/logs