James Hardin Younger (January 15, 1848 – October 19, 1902) was a notable American

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

and member of the

James–Younger Gang The James–Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of United States, American outlaws that revolved around Jesse James and his brother Frank James. The gang was based in the state of Missouri, the home of most of the members. Membership f ...

. He was the brother of

Cole Cole may refer to: Plants * Cole crops of the genus ''Brassica'', especially cabbage, kale, or rape (rapeseed). People * Cole (given name), people with the given name Cole * Cole (surname), people with the surname Cole Companies *Cole Motor C ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and

Bob Younger Robert Ewing Younger (October 29, 1853 – September 16, 1889) was an American criminal and outlaw, the younger brother of Cole Younger, Cole, Jim Younger, Jim and John Younger. He was a member of the James–Younger Gang. Life Born in Missou ...

Life

Born in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

on January 15, 1848. Jim Younger was the ninth of fourteen children born to Henry Washington Younger and Bersheba Leighton Fristoe. With his brother Cole, he joined the Confederate Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, eventually becoming a member of

Quantrill's Raiders Quantrill's Raiders were the best-known of the pro-Confederate partisan guerrillas (also known as "bushwhackers") who fought in the American Civil War. Their leader was William Quantrill and they included Jesse James and his brother Frank. Ea ...

in 1864. Jim was later captured by Union troops, in the same ambush that resulted in

William Quantrill William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865) was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. Having endured a tempestuous childhood before later becoming a schoolteacher, Quantrill joined a group of bandits who ...

's death, and was imprisoned until the war's end. After the war Jim tried his hand at various activities, including starting a horse ranch. In 1873 he joined the James–Younger Gang, which was founded by Cole, along with

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

and

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

. It's uncertain how much time he spent with the gang, but he was present when his brother John was killed by

Pinkertons Pinkerton is a private security guard and detective agency established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker as the North-Western Police Agency, which later became Pinker ...

Roscoe, Missouri Roscoe is a village in St. Clair County, Missouri, United States. The population was 89 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Roscoe has been in operation since 1867. Roscoe village incorporated in 1868. Geography Roscoe is located i ...

in 1874. He left the gang and spent the next two years working a ranch in San Luis Obispo, California.

Return to James–Younger Gang and death

Jim returned to the gang in time to join the ill-fated 1876 bank job in

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W. N ...

. Part of his jaw was shot off and he was captured and sentenced to life imprisonment. Along with Cole, he was paroled in 1901. After his release he became engaged to Alix Mueller, who had met him in prison 20 years after the Northfield robbery. Due to the terms of his parole, however, Jim couldn't marry. He committed suicide on October 19, 1902. His body was returned to

Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both ...

for burial.

Film and television depiction

In 1941, Younger was portrayed by actor

Arthur Kennedy John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the origi ...

in the film ''

Bad Men of Missouri ''Bad Men of Missouri'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and written by Charles Grayson. The film stars Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Wayne Morris and Arthur Kennedy. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 26, 1941. ...

''. In 1950, Dewey Martin played Younger in the film ''

Kansas Raiders ''Kansas Raiders'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Ray Enright, and stars Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Marguerite Chapman, and Scott Brady. It is set during the American Civil War and involves Jesse James coming under the influence ...

'', about his time spent with

. In 1954, Sheb Wooley played Younger in an episode of Jim Davis's syndicated

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, ''

Stories of the Century ''Stories of the Century'' is a 39-episode Western historical fiction television series starring Jim Davis that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between 1954 and 1955. Synopsis Jim Davis, who became famous decades later as the p ...

''. In the 1972 film ''

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid ''The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid'' is a 1972 American Western film about the James-Younger Gang distributed by Universal Pictures. It was written and directed by Philip Kaufman in a cinéma vérité style and starring Cliff Robertson. Th ...

'' he was portrayed by

Luke Askew Francis Luke Askew (March 26, 1932 – March 29, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in many Western (genre), westerns, and had a lead role in the spaghetti Western ''Night of the Serpent'' (''La notte dei serpenti''; 1969). He also had a s ...

''. In the 1980 film ''

The Long Riders ''The Long Riders'' is a 1980 American Western film directed by Walter Hill. It was produced by James Keach, Stacy Keach and Tim Zinnemann and featured an original soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Cooder won the ''Best Music'' award in 1980 from the L ...

'' he was portrayed by

Keith Carradine Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series '' Deadwood ...

. In the TV show ''

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' is an American Western drama television series created and executive produced by Beth Sullivan and starring Jane Seymour, who plays Dr. Michaela Quinn, a physician who leaves Boston in search of adventure in the O ...

'', he was portrayed in the episode " Baby Outlaws S3E21" by Donnie Jeffcoat In the 2001 film ''

American Outlaws ''American Outlaws'' is a 2001 American Western alternate history film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, and Ali Larter. Plot Confederate guerillas attempt to raid the Union Army late in the American Civil War. ...

'' he was portrayed by Gregory Smith.

References

James-Younger gang
at civilwarstlouis.com

External links

Younger family genealogy on the official website for the family of Jesse James: Stray Leaves, A James Family in America Since 1650
{{DEFAULTSORT:Younger, Jim 1848 births 1902 suicides People from Lee's Summit, Missouri Outlaws of the American Old West Bushwhackers James–Younger Gang American bank robbers American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Minnesota People paroled from life sentence Suicides by firearm in Minnesota People of Missouri in the American Civil War 1902 deaths