Pinkerton's First Lady - Kate Warne: United States First Female Detective

Kate Warne was the first female detective in the United States, hired by Allen Pinkerton in 1856. Kate did not flaunt her beliefs of women rights; however she went about it the right way by speaking about and visualizing how women would be very useful as undercover detectives. She spoke and was very capable of speaking to the fact that women have the physical and mental natural abilities to fit in, mingle, investigate and during the year 1856 no one would have suspected her as being a detective employed by a law enforcement agency. Warne went further, she did not just talk she walked the walk and became a very important member of the Pinkerton Agency, criminal investigater and spy during the civil war period. Warne later was assigned as being head of female detectives and trained, mentored and hired those women she thought would be a good fit as a detective. Kate Warne’s accomplishments brought forth the hiring of female detectives as she was a pioneer and first among a male dominated profession. Our modern day female police officers and detectives owe a debt of gratitude to Kate Warne and Allen Pinkerton.