James Gunn

James Gunn (March 6, 1843 – November 5, 1911) was a one-term U. S. Congressman from the state of Idaho. Biography Born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, Gunn emigrated to the United States with his parents while he was very young. The family settled in Wisconsin where he attended the common schools. James later attended the Notre Dame Academy in Indiana and taught school briefly before the Civil War. In 1862, Gunn enlisted in the 27th Wisconsin Infantry and served with them for the remainder of the war. By the time he was discharged in October 1865, he was a Captain. He briefly studied law, but never practiced, and, in 1866, he headed west. In the West, he followed opportunity and lived for a while in Gilpin County and Georgetown, Colorado. He also worked in Virginia City, Nevada, and in California before settling in Hailey, Idaho, in 1881. At Hailey, he went into the newspaper business, publishing the Wood River Valley Sentinel.