- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJesse Woodson James
- Nickname
- Tom Howard
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- Jesse James was born on September 5, 1847 in Clay County, Missouri, USA. He was married to Zerelda Mimms. He died on April 3, 1882 in St. Joseph, Missouri, USA.
- SpouseZerelda Mimms(April 24, 1874 - April 3, 1882) (his death, 4 children)
- Notorious western outlaw who fought during the Civil War with a Confederate guerrilla band called Quantrill's Raiders, responsible for the infamous burning of Lawrence, Kansas, and the massacre of many of its residents. Quantrill's tactics were so vicious and ruthless, including the torture, mutilation and execution of prisoners, that the unit was eventually disowned by Confederate authorities. Its members were pursued relentlessly by Union troops, and most of them--including leader William Quantrill, a former schoolteacher--were hunted down and killed (one of them, a sadistic murderer named "Bloody Bill" Anderson, was so feared that after he was shot by pursuing Union cavalrymen, an officer whipped out his sword and beheaded him). Jesse and his brother Frank James were among the band's few survivors and later formed a gang that was also known for its ruthlessness and indiscriminate killings. A "dead or alive" reward was placed on the brothers. Jesse was eventually murdered by two members of his own gang for the reward, and Frank surrendered to the authorities and served a stretch in prison.
- Moments before being shot, he removed his pistols and walked across the room to clean a picture with dust on it. This has led to the theory that James knew the Fords intended to kill him and chose not to fight.
- James' mother Zerelda Samuel wrote the following epitaph for him: "In Loving Memory of my Beloved Son, Murdered by a Traitor and Coward Whose Name is not Worthy to Appear Here".
- His father Robert was a prosperous farmer and one of the founders of William Jewell College.
- The first crime his gang committed was the robbery of the Clay County Savings Association. They made off with $62,000, which was the largest score they ever got. It was also famous for being the first recorded daylight robbery in history.
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