Ep. 125 | Kate Warne: The Woman (Gasp!) Who Saved the Life of Abraham Lincoln
Kate Warne became America's first female detective in 1856 when she talked her way into a job at the Pinkerton Detective Agency, arguing that a woman could gather intelligence no male detective ever could. Five years later, her undercover work inside Baltimore's secessionist social circles helped uncover a credible plot to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln as he passed through the city on his way to his inauguration. Warne helped orchestrate Lincoln's secret overnight passage through Baltimore, personally staying awake by his side through the night disguised as his older sister, delivering him safely to Washington, D.C. hours ahead of schedule.
Sources
History.com Editors. (2025, May 28). How a female Pinkerton detective helped save Abraham Lincoln's life. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/articles/abraham-lincoln-assassination-attempt-1861-pinkerton-kate-warne
National Park Service. (n.d.). Kate Warne, private detective. Fort Hunt Park / U.S. Department of the Interior. https://home.nps.gov/foth/learn/historyculture/kate-warne-private-detective.htm
National Park Service. (n.d.). The Baltimore Plot. Fort Hunt Park / U.S. Department of the Interior. https://home.nps.gov/foth/baltimore-plot.htm
Pinkerton. (2020, March 27). Unsung heroes: First female detective Kate Warne. https://pinkerton.com/our-insights/blog/unsung-heroes-first-female-detective-kate-warne
Pinkerton. (2025, January 23). The Baltimore Plot. https://pinkerton.com/our-insights/blog/the-baltimore-plot
Stolt, K. (2024, June 5). Ahead of her time — The story of detective Kate Warne. Medium. https://kstolt.medium.com/way-ahead-of-her-time-detective-kate-warne-4e4eefdd582e
Swanson, K. (2024, March 11). How Kate Warne, America's first woman detective, foiled a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-kate-warne-americas-first-woman-detective-foiled-a-plot-to-assassinate-abraham-lincoln-180979829/
WTTW Chicago. (2026, March 24). How the first female detective helped stop a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln. https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2026/03/24/kate-warne-first-female-detective
