Jesse James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the mainly famous member of the James Younger Gang. Already a famous person when he was alive, he became a famous figure of the Wild West after his death. Some new scholars place him in the context of regional insurgencies of ex-Confederates following the American Civil War rather than an expression of frontier lawlessness or economic justice. Jesse and his brother Frank James were partner guerrillas during the Civil War. They were accused of join in atrocities committed against Union soldiers.
After the war, as associate of one gang or another, they robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains. Despite popular portrayals of James as a kind of Robin Hood, robbing from the wealthy and giving to the poor, there is no proof that he and his gang used their robbery gains for anyone but themselves. The James brothers were most active with their gang from about 1866 until 1876, when their effort robbery of a bank in Northfield, Minnesota, resulted in the imprison or deaths of several members. On April 3, 1882, Jesse James was killed by Robert Ford, who was an associate of the gang living in the James house and who was hopeful to collect a state reward on James' head.
After the war, as associate of one gang or another, they robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains. Despite popular portrayals of James as a kind of Robin Hood, robbing from the wealthy and giving to the poor, there is no proof that he and his gang used their robbery gains for anyone but themselves. The James brothers were most active with their gang from about 1866 until 1876, when their effort robbery of a bank in Northfield, Minnesota, resulted in the imprison or deaths of several members. On April 3, 1882, Jesse James was killed by Robert Ford, who was an associate of the gang living in the James house and who was hopeful to collect a state reward on James' head.
| Birth Name | Jesse Woodson James |
| Date Of Birth | September 5, 1847 |
| Place Of Birth | Clay County, Missouri, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Robbery |
| Spouse | Zerelda Mimms |
| Date Of Death | April 3, 1882 |
| Place Of Death | St. Joseph, Missouri, USA |
