Constituency : Bodmin 1847-52, 1857-9 1859-68
The first Liberal gain of the Parliament occurred when the Tory victor at Bodmin William Michell resigned his seat in exchange for the Liberal candidate, James , dropping his petition for corruption. Bizarrely, John Roebuck tried to scupper the deal because he wanted Michell to face charges that would arise if the petition went ahead.
James was a cartographer's son. He was educated at Woolwich. He inherited the title of Geographer Royal when his father died in 1836. He was an opportunistic businessman and would sometimes produce maps of rail networks before they were actually built. He tried to raise opposition to the Ordnance Survey but later made his peace with them and became one of the official outlets for their maps. He designed and built The Great Globe, a tourist attraction in Leicester Square from 1851 to 1862.It was very successful at first but interest waned and James attracted litigation when he failed to restore the gardens previously on site when the lease expired. He was first elected in 1847 though he faced accusations of bribery. In 1852 he unsuccessfully contested Finsbury.
He was an advanced Liberal and would vote against any reform measure that he thought didn't go far enough. He also promoted industrial schools in British cities.
He died in 1887 aged 75.
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