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Kate Warne, The World’s First Female Detective Who Saved Abraham Lincoln’s Life
A daring young widow became one of the top crime fighters in the history of the Unite States
When the profession of detective first came into being it was considered an entirely male endeavor. Working in the world of criminals and the seedy underbelly of society was seen as too dangerous. However, such ridiculous glass ceilings were eventually smashed. In this case, the woman who became the world’s first recognized detective was Kate Warne, who went on to have a distinguished career that included once saving President Abraham Lincoln’s life.
It’s believed that the very first private eye detective was Frenchman Francois Eugène Vidocq. Born in 1775, he found trouble as a young man, getting arrested for deserting his army post and was subsequently sent to jail. After a stint as a police informer, he eventually officially joined their ranks in 1809 and founded his own Brigade de la Sureté once his investigative skills became apparent.
Not only was he the first detective but he also employed scientific strategies in his investigations. He was known for examining fingerprints, conducting rudimentary blood tests and looking for other ways that science and technology — at least what was available to him at…
