James "Jim" Bowie (c. 1796 – March 6, 1836), a 19th-century American pioneer, soldier, smuggler, slave trader, and land speculator, plays a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo.

Stories of him as a fighter and frontiersman, both real and fictitious, have made him a legendary figure in Texas history and a folk hero of American culture.

Born in Kentucky, Bowie spends most of his life in Louisiana, where he is raised and later works as a land speculator.

His rise to fame begins in 1827 on reports of the Sandbar Fight.

What began as a duel between two other men deteriorates into a melée in which Bowie, having been shot and stabbed, kills the sheriff of Rapides Parish with a large knife.

This, and other stories of Bowie's prowess with a knife, lead to the widespread popularity of the Bowie knife.

Bowie's reputation is cemented by his role in the Texas Revolution.

After moving to Texas in 1830, Bowie becomes a Mexican citizen and marries Ursula Veramendi, the daughter of the Mexican vice governor of the province.

His fame in Texas grows following his failed expedition to find the lost San Saba mine, during which his small party repels an attack by a large Indian raiding party.

At the outbreak of the Texas Revolution, Bowie joins the Texas militia, leading forces at the Battle of Concepción and the Grass Fight.

In January 1836, he arrives at the Alamo, where he commands the volunteer forces until an illness leaves him bedridden.

Bowie dies with the other Alamo defenders on March 6.

Despite conflicting accounts of the manner of his death, the "most popular, and probably the most accurate" accounts maintain that he died in his bed after emptying his pistols into several Mexican soldiers.