Jesse Woodson James (September 5; 1847 - April 3; 1882) was an American outlaw; guerrilla; gang leader; bank robber; train robber; and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang.

Jesse and his brother Frank James were Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War. They were accused of participating in atrocities committed against Union soldiers; including the Centralia Massacre. After the war; as members of various gangs of outlaws; they robbed banks; stagecoaches; and trains.

On April 3; 1882; Jesse James was killed by Robert Ford; a member of his own gang who hoped to collect a reward on James' head. Already a celebrity when he was alive; James became a legendary figure of the Wild West after his death.