pinkerton

noun

1. Allan,1819–84, U.S. detective, born in Scotland.

noun

1. Allan. 1819–84, US private detective, born in Scotland. He founded the first detective agency in the US (1850) and organized an intelligence system for the Federal States of America (1861)

n.“semi-official detective,” 1888, from the detective agency begun in U.S. 1850 by Allan Pinkerton (1819-1884).