Jesse James

Jesse James (September 5, 1847 – April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw and guerrilla fighter who became one of the most infamous and romanticized figures in the Old West. Born in Missouri to a slaveholding family, James joined pro-slavery militia groups during the Civil War, engaging in guerrilla warfare. After the war, he and his older brother Frank turned to crime, organizing raids on banks, trains, and stagecoaches throughout the Midwest and South from 1866 to 1882. James became the leader of the James-Younger Gang, which conducted numerous robberies that made him both notorious and, to some, a folk hero—particularly among those sympathetic to the Old South. He was considered by some supporters as a Robin Hood figure resisting Republican Reconstruction policies, though this romanticization obscures his brutal criminal activities. James' life ended when Robert Ford, a gang member seeking reward money, shot him in the back. His death made him a legend, and his life has been the subject of countless books, films, and songs, making him one of the most famous outlaws in American history.