John Frank Dalton (March 8, 1848(?)August 15, 1951) was a possible centenarian who drew notice late in life by successively claiming to be two long-dead famous Western historical figures, lawman Frank Dalton and outlaw Jesse James.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, J. Frank Dalton attracted considerable attention by telling tales of being Deputy U. S. Marshal Frank Dalton (1859–1887). After historians confronted him with compelling evidence to the effect that he definitely could not be the same man as Marshal Frank Dalton, starting in April 1948 in Lawton, Oklahoma, he took up claiming to be Jesse James (1847–1882) instead. J. Frank Dalton was allegedly over 100 years old at the time of his first public appearance as Jesse James at Lawton, claiming in an affidavit that he had been a member of Quantrill's guerrillas during the Civil War. Though he convinced several people of note, such as journalist/novelist Robert Ruark, extensive research by historians has never been able to verify Dalton's claims, and recent DNA evidence supports the traditional account of James's 1882 death (this report has been heavily disputed by a book written by distant relatives of Jesse James). J. Frank Dalton died in 1951.
Claim to be Deputy U. S. Marshal Frank Dalton
The true origin of J. Frank Dalton remains obscure, and his name itself (in full, John Frank Dalton) perhaps was just an alias. Ed Bartholomew, a rare book dealer and Old West historian, would relate that Dalton was using the nickname "the Kid" when they first met at a 1933 Corpus Christi old-timers' convention and said he remembered at least one local paper drawing the possible connection between Dalton and Billy the Kid. He also said that Dalton was going by the name of Dolby at the time. In a 1936 family history, a man who referred to himself as "Frank Dalton" wrote in detail about the death of Jesse James, claiming that he (Dalton) was present when reporters, law enforcement officers, and locals gathered to witness the scene, and where Bob Ford confessed. The author of the account seems to question the accepted historical narrative surrounding the outlaw's death. He goes on to say that he is aware of others' efforts to pose as James. It is uncertain whether the author of this account is the same man as the later Marshal Dalton/Jesse James impostor J. Frank Dalton.
While a resident of the Roper Hotel in Marble Falls, Texas, in the early 1940s, J. Frank Dalton claimed to be the famous lawman of the Old West named J. (John) Franklin "Frank" Dalton, who from 1884 until his death in 1887 had served as Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Arkansas, administered out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, with jurisdiction including the Oklahoma or Indian Territory. He had previously made such claims while living in Independence County, Arkansas. Contrary to J. Frank Dalton's claims, the marshal was shot and killed in the line of duty on November 27, 1887, in a gun battle with members of the Smith-Dixon Gang.
Claim to be Jesse James
Following the death of Jesse James hoaxer William John James in 1947, Orvus Lee Howk, who claimed to be a grandson of J. Frank Dalton and later renamed himself Jesse Lee James III, engineered Dalton's adoption of a new identity as Old West outlaw Jesse James. Signing himself as J. Frank Dalton, the old man on April 24, 1948, executed an affidavit recounting the details of the historical Jesse James'a birth and claimed to be the famous outlaw. The affidavit was published, with additional historical information about James and the claim, in the newspaper "The Lawton Constitution" the following month. On May 22, 1948, Dalton made two public appearances in Lawton's business district, giving speeches at each location. Dalton posed as Jesse James in front of the crowds and spoke about what life was like in the days of the Old West. This fed into not infrequent claims that Jesse James had faked his 1882 death and then adopted an alias, and Dalton's account incorporated many aspects told by prior Jesse James impostor William John James. James expert Homer Croy went to Lawton and found Dalton unable to answer many questions the authentic James should have known, but Howk continued to promote Dalton as Jesse James.