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. Gunn became a member of the
Populist Party, and stood for office several times. When Idaho became a state in 1890, Gunn was elected to the
Idaho State Senate. He also served as editor of the
Boise Sentinel until elected to the state's at-large seat in
Congress. Gunn ran for the seat four times; in 1892, 1894, 1896, and 1898, but only his 1896 race was successful. He defeated
Boise attorney
William Borah, who later served over 32 years as a
U.S. Senator (1907–40). Gunn lost his bid for re-election in 1898 to
Edgar Wilson, a
Silver Republican, whom had preceded Gunn in office as a
Republican. Gunn later was the commandant of the Idaho Soldiers' Home in 1901–03. He died in 1911 and is buried at Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise. ==References==