Scottish American detective Allan Pinkerton (1819-1886) founded Pinkerton's National Detective Agency in Chicago in 1950. Though Pinkerton earned a reputation by recovering a large sum of money stolen from the Adams Express Company and discovering a plot to murder Abraham Lincoln in 1861, he and his detective agency were also known for providing strikebreakers during labor disputes.

The earliest record of the agency's involvement in such a dispute dates from 1866, when it provided guard service during a coal miners' strike in Bradwood, Illinois. Thereafter, "Pinkertons" were used as guards in coal, iron and lumber disputes in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as in the railroad strikes of 1877. The business thrived and Pinkerton established several regional offices.

Allan's sons, William and Robert, worked in the agency and took over after their father's death. They continued to employ their detectives in strike-breaking assignments. Robert (pictured at right) had once provided Henry Clay Frick with 150 to 200 detectives during a strike in the Connellsville, PA coke region, so it comes as no surprise that Frick would seek his help again during the Homestead situation. In a letter to the agency dated June 15, 1892, Frick provided detailed instructions for the 300 "Pinkertons" who arrived in Homestead on July 6.

Return to Homestead Strike.