S5 Episode 16: Allan Pinkerton-America’s First Detective

You may have heard of “The Pinkertons,” the infamous detective and spy agency that dealt with matters of national intelligence and security, labor union disputes and much more. But what do you know about Allan Pinkerton, the founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency?

Author Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones explores the life and adventures of Pinkerton in his latest book, “Allan Pinkerton: America’s Legendary Detective and the Birth of Private Security.” With Rhodri, we trace Pinkerton’s unlikely rise from a Scottish immigrant to America’s first “detective,” his role in protecting Abraham Lincoln, his battles with outlaws and activists, and the controversial methods that made his agency both feared and admired. Rhodri also helps us separate fact from legend, while reflecting on how Pinkerton’s legacy continues to influence modern security and surveillance.

We’ll also learn more about Rhodri himself: born in Wales in 1942, descended from poets, miners, and industrialists, educated at Cambridge, Michigan, and Harvard, and a longtime professor at the University of Edinburgh who has written more than twenty books on American history.