Will James (artist)

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For other people named Will James see Will James (disambiguation)

Will James (1892-1942), artist and writer, was born Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault, June 6, 1892 in Quebec province, Canada. It was during his creative years everyone grew to know him as Will James.

His early years were shared with his family. He started drawing at the age of four on the kitchen floor. At a young age he traveled to the United States.

During the next several years, he drifted, worked at several jobs, served in the army and began selling his sketches. He married Alice Conradt in 1920 and in 1922 sold his first writing, Bucking Horse Riders. The sale of several books followed. In 1926 his most famous book, Smoky the Cow Horse, was published, which won the Newbery Medal in 1927. His fictionalized autobiography, Lone Cowboy, was written in 1930 and he wrote his last book, The American Cowboy, in 1942. In all, he wrote and illustrated 23 books.

His later years were spent on his ranch at Pryor Creek, Montana and at his Billings, Montana home on Smoky Lane. Will witnessed movies made from his books and his fame grew. He died in 1942.