Constituency : Halifax 1859-95
James was a county court judge's son from Halifax and trained in the law himself. He also owned a brewery in Fulham. James became involved with Radical politics from an early age. He was introduced to the Italian revolutionary Mazzini by his father-in-law and frequently spoke at meetings of the Northern Reform Union. He was the protégé of Halifax's senior member Sir Charles Wood.
James was first elected in 1859 and quickly made his name as a supporter of Italian and Polish nationalism , advising Garibaldi on his visit to Britain in 1862. In 1863 Palmerston appointed him Civil Lord of the Admiralty where he displeased some of his fellow Radicals by asserting that no further economies were possible. He felt obliged to resign the following year after narrowly evading a vote of censure for allegedly playing host to and financing violent Italian revolutionaries. The allegations surfaced in a political trial at Paris and Disraeli accused him of " being in correspondence with the assassins of Europe".
In 1866 Russell restored him to the government as under secretary of state for India. He was also favoured by Gladstone who made him a whip in 1868, a very useful aide to his chief , Henry Brand. He was promoted to Financial Secretary to the Treasury in 1869 and then to the Cabinet as President of the Poor Law Board in 1871. This was superceded by the Local Government Board of which James became the first President serving until 1874 .
James became obsessed with repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act which he regarded as immoral and oppressive and he declined office in 1880 to pursue this campaign. When this was finally accomplished he returned to Gladstone's third Cabinet in 1886 in his previous post. Also in 1886 he sponsored a women's suffrage Bill.
James stood down at the 1895 general election and his seat was lost to the Conservatives probably due to the intervention of an ILP candidate.
He died in 1898 aged 77.
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