author
J. A. (Joseph A.) Dacus
1838–1885
A 19th-century American writer and journalist, this author turned fast-moving frontier stories and major labor unrest into vivid popular history. His books on Frank and Jesse James and on the great railroad strikes of 1877 helped preserve some of the era's most dramatic events for later readers.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in 1838, Joseph A. Dacus was an American writer, journalist, and public figure associated with Missouri. Reliable reference sources describe him as a member of the Missouri State Legislature as well as a working journalist.
He is best remembered for writing about headline-making subjects of his day. Among his best-known works are books on Frank and Jesse James and the Younger brothers, along with Annals of the Great Strikes in the United States, his account of the nationwide labor upheavals of 1877.
Dacus died in 1885. His writing remains of interest because it captures how sensational crime, politics, and labor conflict were being reported and understood in late 19th-century America.