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History of the private detective
A History of Private Investigators
The field of private investigation has a long and interesting history.
In fact, the first known private investigator, Francois-Eugene Vidocq,
was born in 1775. Vidocq started his own private investigation business,
Le Bureau de Renseignements, when he was 59 years old. He had, however,
performed several private investigations prior to this time and it is
said that his personal journals of his countless investigations inspired
many classical authors, including Dickens, Doyle, and Poe.
The first known American private investigator was Allen Pinkerton.
Pinkerton became a private investigator in 1850, after serving on the
Chicago Police Department for 3 years. Pinkerton is best known for
having prevented President Lincoln’s assassination when he was on his
way to his presidential inauguration. Lincoln later asked Pinkerton to
create the Secret Service, which has remained in existence ever since.
Since then, private investigation began booming in America. Among
others, W.H. Triplit organized the Ohio Secret Service in 1883. By 1917,
the Sherman Detective Agency, Inc. began operation. The most renowned
detective in America, however, was probably Harold K. “Hal” Lipset.
Often referred to as the “Old Master,” Lipset was a bugging expert known
around the world. He was capable of successfully hiding bugs in
inconspicuous places - even hiding one transmitter inside a martini
olive!
The first private investigator to be immortalized as an action figure
was J.J. “Jay” Armes. Armes, who lost both of his hands when he was 12
years old while playing with dynamite, also became a well-known private
investigator around the world. He was responsible for finding and
rescuing actor Marlon Brando’s kidnapped son. In addition, his renown
earned him a role in a segment of the television show Hawaii Five-O,
further catapulting the popularity of private investigation.
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