Pinkerton

Pinkerton may refer to several uses, most notably the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, a private security and investigation firm founded in the United States in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton in Chicago. It grew into one of the most prominent private security organizations of the era, operating across the United States and, later, abroad. The agency specialized in surveillance, investigations, and security services for businesses and governments.

The agency played a significant role in 19th- and early-20th-century labor and political events. It conducted intelligence gathering, anti-counterfeiting work, and security operations, and it became known for deploying agents—often referred to as “Pinkerton men”—to protect employers during labor disputes, a practice that drew substantial criticism for labor suppression. In 1999, the Pinkerton agency was acquired by Securitas AB, a Swedish security company, and operates thereafter as Pinkerton, a security and risk-management firm within the Securitas group.

Pinkerton is also the title of a 1996 album by the American rock band Weezer. The album, their second studio effort, is noted for a rawer, more experimental sound compared with their debut. At release it drew mixed reviews, but over time it has been reassessed by many critics and fans as a cult classical work within alternative rock.

In addition to these uses, Pinkerton is a surname of Scottish origin and appears in various unrelated contexts, including fictional characters, corporate names, and geographic designations. The term is most commonly encountered in discussions of private security, labor history, and popular music.