James Boyd (Australian politician)

James Boyd
Member of the Australian Parliament for Henty
In office 31 May 1913 – 13 December 1919
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Frederick Francis
Personal details
Born	(1867-07-07)7 July 1867 Portsea, Hampshire, England
Died	12 April 1941(1941-04-12) (aged 73) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal (1913–17) Nationalist (1917–19)
Occupation	Local councillor

James Arthur Boyd (7 July 1867 – 12 April 1941) was an Australian politician. Born in Portsea, Hampshire, his family moved to Ayrshire in Scotland around 1869. He was educated at St John's Academy in Glasgow before becoming an apprentice painter. He migrated to Melbourne, Victoria, in 1885, where he had many occupations, and was a councillor on Port Melbourne Council.

In 1901, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the seat of Melbourne as a Conservative at a by-election. He was an Honorary Minister 1907–08. In 1908 he left the Assembly and, in 1913, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal member for the new seat of Henty. In 1917, the Liberal Party merged with the National Labor Party to become the Nationalist Party, of which Boyd became a member.

Boyd held his seat until 1919, when he was defeated by independent Nationalist Frederick Francis, despite having almost doubled Francis's primary vote. He became a businessman after leaving politics, and was President of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce 1920–1922, and of the Associated Chambers of Australia in 1922–1923.

Boyd married Emma Flora McCormack on 5 January 1894 at Flemington. They had two daughters, Alva who became a medical practitioner, and Esna who became an Australian tennis champion. Boyd died of coronary vascular disease on 12 April 1941.