James Hardin Younger (January 15, 1848 – October 19, 1902) was a notable American outlaw and member of the James–Younger Gang. He was the brother of Cole, John and Bob Younger

Life

Born in

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

on January 15, 1848. Jim Younger was the ninth of fourteen children born to

Henry Washington Younger Henry Washington Younger (February 22, 1810 – July 20, 1862) was a businessman and father to the Younger outlaws Cole, Jim, John and Bob. He was the father of fourteen children. He was the son of Colonel Charles Lee Younger and Sarah Sulli ...

and

Bersheba Leighton Fristoe Bersheba Fristoe Younger, born Bersheba Leighton Fristoe (June 6, 1816 – June 6, 1870) was an American woman who was the mother of the famed Younger Outlaws Cole, Jim, John and Bob. She was born in McMinnville, Tennessee, the daughter of judge R ...

. 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 Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, eventually becoming a member of Quantrill's Raiders in 1864. Jim was later captured by Union troops, in the same ambush that resulted in William Quantrill'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 and Jesse James. 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 Pinkerton ...

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 ...

. 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 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''. In 1950, Dewey Martin played Younger in the film '' Kansas Raiders'', about his time spent with Quantrill's Raiders. In 1954, Sheb Wooley played Younger in an episode of Jim Davis's syndicated western television series, '' Stories of the Century''. 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. The ...

'' he was portrayed by Luke Askew''. In the 1980 film '' The Long Riders'' he was portrayed by Keith Carradine. In the TV show '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'', he was portrayed in the episode " Baby Outlaws S3E21" by Donnie Jeffcoat In the 2001 film '' American Outlaws'' 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