Private company

Pinkerton Government Services

Pinkerton is an American private investigation agency and security company established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born American cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward.1

Last updated Oct 18, 2026.

Overview

Feb 1855Founded1
  • Industryprivate military company1
  • HeadquartersAnn Arbor1
  • Founded inChicago1
  • Websitepinkerton.com

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Pinkerton is an American private investigation agency and security company established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born American cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker as the North-Western Police Agency, which later became Pinkerton & Co. and finally the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. At the height of its power from the 1870s to the 1890s, it was the largest private law enforcement organization in the world. It is currently a subsidiary of Swedish-based Securitas AB.2

How it started

Origins

In the 1850s, Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish immigrant, met Chicago attorney Edward Rucker in a local Masonic Hall. The two men formed the North-Western Police Agency, later known as the Pinkerton Agency. Pinkerton used his skills in espionage to attract clients and begin expanding the agency. Historian Frank Morn writes: "By the mid-1850s, a few businessmen saw the need for greater control over their employees; their solution was to sponsor a private detective system. In February 1855, Allan Pinkerton, after consulting with six midwestern railroads, created such an agency in Chicago." The Pinkerton Agency began to hire women and minorities shortly after its founding because they were useful as spies, a practice uncommon at the time.

From Wikipedia’s article on Pinkerton Government Services, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Leadership

Who has led Pinkerton Government Services, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Timeline

  1. Feb 1855Founded Founded in Chicago1

Sources

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