Constituency : Kirkcaldy Burghs 1892-21
James took over from the deceased George Campbell with an easy victory over the Liberal Unionists.
James was a shoemaker's son . He was educated at Shrewsbury High School and King's College London. He was originally a journalist and a leading advocate for devolution all round.
James was an advanced Radical and a friend of Lloyd George and a partner in his gold mining venture in the 1990s. He went with him to Argentina. In 1894 bought a stake in Reynolds Weekly News which he later came to own.
In 1906 at a hearing on the sale of milk-blended butter Jams attacked the case for "paternal and grandmotherly" state regulation of foodstuffs and said consumers could make their own choices.
Like Lloyd George James thought maximum effort was necessary to win the war.He supported conscription in 1915 and wanted the system for interning enemy aliens tightened up. He was also a conspirator with Sir John French and T P O' Connor to expose the Shell Shortage in 1915. With capital advanced from the munitions organiser Andrew Weir he bought the Daily Chronicle to act as Lloyd George's mouthpiece and installed himself as chairman and political director. He also bought the Pall Mall Gazette in 1917. In 1918 he was created a baronet.
James was unopposed in 1918 as he had been in December 1910. In 1921 he was created Baron Dalziel and Labour took the seat in the by-election, one of a string of defeats which exposed the vulnerability of the Coalition Liberals. James retired from the newspaper business the following year.
In 1924 James joined the National Party of Scotland, a forerunner of the SNP.
He died in 1935 aged 67.
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