James Anderson

James Anderson (died 13 May 1917) was a British trade union leader.

Anderson worked in London as a docker, and he became active in the Amalgamated Stevedores' Labour Protection League. He took part in the London dock strike of 1889, and gained recognition as an able leader. He was soon elected as secretary of the union's Branch 5, one of its largest branches, and also won election to the union's executive council.

In the 1890s, Anderson was elected as general secretary of the union. Under his leadership, the union affiliated to the Labour Party and to the General Federation of Trade Unions, and became increasingly supportive of other port-based unions. He became prominent in local politics, winning election to the Poplar Board of Guardians, also becoming a founding member of the Port of London Authority, and serving on the London Board of Arbitration.