Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884) was a Scottish American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Pinkerton started with detective work back in Scotland, and in 1849 he was appointed as the first police detective in Chicago. Year later he partnered with Chicago attorney Edward Rucker in forming the Detective Agency which became famous for solving a series of train robberies during the 1850s. Pinkerton produced numerous popular detective books, based on his own exploits and those of his agents.