Constituency : Glasgow St Rollox 1886-92 ( Liberal Unionist 1886-90 ) , Mid Lanarkshire 1894-1910
James was another new Liberal Unionist MP . The previous Liberal MP, John McCulloch stood down and James triumphed over a Peter MacLiver by 119 votes.
James was both a lawyer and a wealthy calico merchant.
James's maiden speech emphasised that fair rents fixed by the 1881 Irish Land Act of 1881 had to be paid. He tried to set an agenda on Highland land reform for the Liberal Unionist party.
In 1890 James went over to the Gladstonians and stood for them in Glasgow Tradeston in 1892. He was narrowly defeated due to the presence of a Labour candidate.
James re-entered Parliament at a by-election in 1894 at Mid -Lanarkshire. He held the seat until he stood down before the January 1910 election.
In 1904 James sat on a Committee considering copyright issues and spoke up for the general public's interest in hearing music ; "copyright is not such an absolute right of property as is claimed but is a "liberty" or privilege , conferred by Parliament with the view of encouraging music in the general community". The rest of the committee was more minded to side with the music publishers. He felt that the spread of piracy was due to the enormous gap between the prices charged to the public and the cost of production.
From 1906 to 1910 James was a Deputy Speaker.
He died in 1925 aged 86.
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