author

J. A. (Joseph A.) Dacus

1838–1885

A 19th-century American journalist and writer remembered for lively books on Frank and Jesse James and for chronicling the great railroad and labor unrest of 1877. His work sits at the crossroads of frontier legend, newspaper storytelling, and political life in Missouri.

2 Audiobooks

Life and adventures of Frank and Jesse James, the noted western outlaws

Life and adventures of Frank and Jesse James, the noted western outlaws

by J. A. (Joseph A.) Dacus

Annals of the great strikes in the United States : A reliable history and graphic description of the causes and thrilling events of the labor strikes and riots of 1877

Annals of the great strikes in the United States : A reliable history and graphic description of the causes and thrilling events of the labor strikes and riots of 1877

by J. A. (Joseph A.) Dacus

About the author

Joseph A. Dacus (1838–1885) was an American writer and journalist associated with St. Louis. He is best known for books about the James brothers and for Annals of the Great Strikes in the United States, an account of the labor upheavals of 1877.

Beyond journalism, he also served in the Missouri State Legislature. That mix of reporter, author, and public figure helps explain the tone of his writing: direct, dramatic, and closely tied to the big public events of his day.

Dacus is still of interest mainly because his books capture how late-19th-century Americans understood outlaws, politics, and social conflict while those stories were still fresh.