Benjamin James (d. after 1799) was a farmer and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He represented Granville Township in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1785 to 1793. He was born in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and served in a loyalist corps during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. He came to Nova Scotia in 1783, settling in

Annapolis County Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province located on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal. History Established August 17, 1759, by Order in Council, Annapoli ...

, where he was named a commissioner of the peace. James served as chairman of the Public Accounts committee in the provincial assembly. In 1799, he sold his farm to the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

to be used for the construction of a church and settled in Halifax. He was employed as an accountant at a dockyard there but died a few years later.

References

Calnek, W. A. ''History of the County of Annapolis, Nova Scotia : Including Old Port Royal & Acadia'' (1999)
* 19th-century deaths Year of birth missing Year of death uncertain Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs {{NovaScotia-MLA-stub