About James Evan Baillie
Lived 1781 – 1863 (aged 81–82). James Evan Baillie was a British politician, merchant and banker.
James Evan Baillie (1781 – 14 June 1863) was a British West Indies merchant, landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1813 and 1835.
Baillie was the third son of Evan Baillie of Dochfour and his wife Mary Gurley, daughter of Peter Gurley of St. Vincent. His father was a landowner in Scotland with commercial interests in Bristol including the firm of Evan Baillie, Sons & Co. Baillie, together with his older brother Hugh Duncan Baillie, became a partner in the Bristol Old Bank in 1812 after death of his brother Peter Baillie. Baillie was a partner in J E Baillie, Fraser & Co of Bristol, Chairman of British Guiana Association, president of Whig Anchor club of Bristol and a Member of Brook's club. He continued to buy land in Scotland after his father's death in 1835. He had been a prominent opponent of abolition but after abolition received a slave compensation of £53,964 in 1835–1836. When the British government emancipated the slaves in the 1830s, James and his brother Hugh received compensation for more than 450 slaves across 21 estates in British Guiana, Grenada, St Kitts, St Vincent, and Trinidad. This money was invested in further Scottish estates at Glenelg in 1837, Glenshiel in 1838 and Letterfinlay in 1851.
Baillie never married and died at the age of 82.
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Important facts
People in James Evan Baillie's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was James Evan Baillie?
British politician (1781–1863)
When was James Evan Baillie born?
James Evan Baillie was born in 1781.
When did James Evan Baillie die?
James Evan Baillie died on 14 June 1863.
What was James Evan Baillie's occupation?
James Evan Baillie was a politician, merchant and banker.
What nationality was James Evan Baillie?
James Evan Baillie was British.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: James Evan Baillie
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). James Evan Baillie. https://biography.guide/james-evan-baillie/
MLA: "James Evan Baillie." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/james-evan-baillie/.
Chicago: "James Evan Baillie." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/james-evan-baillie/.
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