Image Source: Wikipedia Commons, Portrait by Achille Devéria

Eugène François Vidocq, (July 1775-May 1857) a french criminal mastermind, is regarded as the first private detective in the world and the father of modern criminology. After decades of a life of crime, Eugene turned and became an informant for the police, eventually founding his own private detective agency, and discovered and patented forensic techniques still used to this day.

First Private Detective in the World: From Convict to Private Eye

Even as a child, Vidocq could not resist the excitement of finding trouble. Throughout his teenage years, he found himself in and out of military, fleeing after killing two officers in a duel, joining another regiment, only to run again to avoid the noose after striking a superior officer in the head. As a young adult, he spent years committing fraud, forgery, assault on some soldiers, privateering, and accused of murder. (which was dropped once the victim admitted her stab wounds were self inflicted) He was imprisoned multiple times, yet always found ways to escape: Whether it was through the help of fellow inmates or through various disguises to escape apprehension. (Including dressing as a sailor under the name Auguste Duval, stealing a nun's habit to escape a prison hospital, and working as a cattle driver.)

After a life on the run and numerous escapes, his past transgressions finally caught up with him in 1809 and was arrested. Vidocq had been running for four years after the last escape, and despite his best efforts to try to live a normal life, he kept being recognized by people from the past. Turning a new leaf, Vidocq offered his services as an informant to the Parisian police, which they approved. He worked within the prisons, gathering intel from inmates on forged identities and unsolved crimes, which he forwarded the information to the police chief of Paris. The inmates were unaware that he was a spy: They were blinded by their infatuation with his infamy as a master criminal, which Vidocq used to his advantage. After his release from prison, Vidocq continued to work for the police chief, Jean Henry. He blended into the criminal underbelly to gather intelligence, changing identities and disguises to thwart their suspicions.

Vidocq's work did not only include his insight into the criminal mind, but his discoveries in the forensic science field. Eugene's contributions include fingerprinting, ballistics, (which one of the first cases to use his technology was in identifying the person who murdered Abraham Lincoln) plaster of Paris for imprints, holds patents on indelible ink and unalterable bond paper, and forensic anthropometrics.

In 1833, Vidocq founded the first known detective agency, Le bureau des renseignments, (Office of Information) which was a mixture of a detective agency and private police force. Similar to his plain-clothes Brigade de la Sûreté, (Security Brigade) he hired ex-convicts for his force. After several lawsuits and an unsuccessful attempt to expel him from the city, he transitioned into a private life, taking on occasional cases through his later life. Vidocq died in 1857 in his home in Paris from illness.

Eugène François Vidocq's legacy has been depicted in literature, theater, film, and even video games. Modern police and detective work methods and techniques are indebted to Vidocq's contributions and legacy. He, rightfully so, is considered to be the father of modern criminology, the first private detective, and the leader in forensic science.

Sources: Eugene Vidocq: The Convict Who Became the Father of Modern Criminal Investigation
Eugène François Vidocq Wiki

 

Kate Warne-First Female P.I. in the United States

Kate Warne, first female private investigator hired in the US. This image has been debated on whether or not it is Kate Warne dressed as a male. Unfortunately, there are few portraits of Warne, let alone confirmed: However, that only adds to her legacy as a master of disguise and covert detective.

Kate Warne: First Female PI and Master of Disguise

In 1856, the now famous Pinkerton detective agency in Chicago, had a woman walk in inquiring on what Alan Pinkerton first thought to be for the secretary position. He described her as a "commanding person, with clear cut, expressive features...a slender, brown-haired woman, graceful in her movements and self-possessed. Her features, although not what could be called handsome, were decidedly of an intellectual cast... her face was honest, which would cause one in distress instinctly [sic] to select her as a confidante."

Kate Warne, a widow from New York, came in to the Pinkerton Agency to respond to the detective position that was advertised in the local paper. Alan Pinkerton was surprised at her inquiry; It was not custom for women to work as private eyes, but he was impressed by her argument: "[Women are] most useful in worming out secrets in many places which would be impossible for a male detective." She argued that women can befriend the wives and girlfriends of suspected criminals, since men love to brag when they are around women who encourage them. Warne added that women are observant and have an eye for detail. Pinkerton hired her as a private eye and despite protests from his brother who was also his business partner, Alan never regretted his decision.

Warne was a master of disguise: From portraying herself as a fortune teller to lure suspects into telling her their secrets, rich society matrons, to changing her Northern mannerisms into a Southern accent to play the role of a "flirty Southern belle" from Mongomery, Alabama, in the Pinkerton National Detective Agency's paramount case: The Baltimore Plot. Through Warne's disguise and ability to convincingly take on Southern mannerisms, she was able to infiltrate a ring of Southern sympathizers in Maryland and gather the details of a plan to assassinate then president-elect Abraham Lincoln on his way to the inauguration. Through Pinkerton and Warne, she was able to secure Lincoln and safely transport him to the inauguration by smuggling him through a train car, passing through Baltimore undetected. Lincoln continued to use Pinkerton and Warne through the Civil War to gather covert intelligence. In 1860, Pinkerton started a "Female Detective Bureau", hiring more female detectives, led by Kate Warne. This was very progressive at the time, as women were not allowed to join the police force until 1891 nor become investigators until 1903.

She continued to serve until 1868, when she died from a sudden illness. She is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago in the Pinkerton Family Plot. In March of 1868, a memoriam was written in the Democratic Enquirer on Warne's life as a private detective: "Up to the time of her death, her whole life had been devoted to the service into which she had entered in her younger years. She was undoubtedly the best female detective in America, if not the world."

Sources: Celebrating Women’s History: America’s First Female P.I.
Timothy Webster and Kate Warne
Kate Warne First Female Private-Eye