James Redpath was born in England on August 24, 1833. In 1849, Redpath immigrated with his family to Michigan. Once in America, Redpath entered the printer’s trade and wrote for the anti-slavery movement under the name “Berwick.” Discovered by Horace Greeley, Redpath moved to New York to work on the New York Tribune at the age of 19. Redpath made several trips into the South to study the institution of slavery first hand. From these trips, Redpath published The Roving Editor, or, Talks with Slaves in the Southern United States. In 1855, he traveled to Kansas and became actively involved with the anti-slavery movement taking place in the territory. While in Kansas, Redpath met John Brown with whom he shared similar ideology about slavery. During the Civil War, he continued to publish and write materials. In 1879, James Redpath started reporting on the tumultuous happenings of Ireland. He served as an editor for the book Jefferson Davis, Ex-President of the Confederate States of America: A Memoir by His Wife. Due to injuries sustained after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the street, James Redpath died on February 10, 1891.