Allan Pinkerton

Birth Name:
Allan J. Pinkerton
Birth Date:
August 25, 1819
Birth Place:
Glasgow, Scotland
Death Date:
July 1, 1884
Place of Death:
No. 554 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois
Age:
64
Cause of Death:
Gangrene (disputed)
Cemetery Name:
Graceland Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Crime and their Victims
Associates:
Allan Pinkerton was a Scottish cooper, abolitionist, detective, and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency during his time in the United States. When the Civil War began, Pinkerton served as head of the Union Intelligence Service during the first two years, heading off an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland while guarding Abraham Lincoln on his way to Washington, D.C. as well as identifying troop numbers in military campaigns. His agents often worked undercover as Confederate soldiers and sympathizers to gather military intelligence. Pinkerton himself served on several undercover missions as a Confederate soldier using the alias Major E.J. Allen. Following Pinkerton's service with the Union Army, he continued his pursuit of train robbers, including the Reno Gang. He was hired by the railroad express companies to track outlaw Jesse James, but after Pinkerton failed to capture him, the railroad withdrew their financial support and Pinkerton continued to track James at his own expense.

Fun Fact:

In 1861, while investigating a railway case, Pinkerton uncovered an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln. The conspirators intended to kill Lincoln in Baltimore during a stop on his way to his inauguration. Pinkerton warned Lincoln of the threat, and the president-elect’s itinerary was changed so that he passed through the city secretly at night. Lincoln later hired Pinkerton to organize a “secret service” to obtain military information in the Southern states during the Civil War. In Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi, he performed his own investigative work and traveled under the pseudonym “Major E.J. Allen.”

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Graceland Cemetery

4001 N Clark Street

Chicago, Illinois, 60613

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois courtesy of Jake Coolidge and Joe Collier

Grave Location:

Section C, Lot 554, Space 25

Grave Location Description

After entering the cemetery, head northeast on Main Avenue for about 750 feet. Then turn left on Center Avenue, and head north for about 720 feet until you reach the intersection. Allan Pinkerton’s grave will be on your right, about 50 feet east from the intersection.

Grave Location GPS

41.95776099206102, -87.66026858708979

Visiting The Grave:

Photos:

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FAQ's

Allan Pinkerton was born on August 25, 1819.

Allan Pinkerton was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

Allan Pinkerton died on July 1, 1884.

Allan Pinkerton died in No. 554 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois.

Allan Pinkerton was 64.

The cause of death was Gangrene (disputed).

Allan Pinkerton's grave is in Graceland Cemetery

Read More About Allan Pinkerton:

Videos Featuring Allan Pinkerton:

Watch YouTube video titled The Secret Plot to Kill Lincoln (That Failed!)
The Secret Plot to Kill Lincoln (That Failed!)
Watch YouTube video titled How the Pinkerton Agency Laid the Foundation for the FBI and CIA
How the Pinkerton Agency Laid the Foundation for the FBI and CIA
Watch YouTube video titled Pinkerton's National Detective Agency Documentary
Pinkerton's National Detective Agency Documentary
Watch YouTube video titled America's Private Eye - The Pinkertons - One Minute History
America's Private Eye - The Pinkertons - One Minute History
Watch YouTube video titled 10 Exciting Adventures of the Pinkertons
10 Exciting Adventures of the Pinkertons
Watch YouTube video titled How the Pinkertons Became the Most Infamous Detective Agency
How the Pinkertons Became the Most Infamous Detective Agency

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