James Fletcher

James Fletcher (August 1834 – 19 March 1891) was an Australian coalminer and owner, newspaper proprietor and politician, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Early life and migration Fletcher was born in Dalkeith, East Lothian, Scotland to parents of William Fletcher and Anne Fletcher. He also managed the Wickham and Bullock Island Coal Co. and was part-owner of Ferndale Colliery. Political career He was mayor of Wallsend in 1874 and 1875 and nearby Plattsburg in 1878. In 1876-89 he owned the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. In 1884 he ran into financial difficulties and was sued by James Brown to recover loss and his friends helped him raise the £4,000. He was appointed Secretary for Mines in February 1886 in the Jennings ministry, but resigned in December. He was Secretary for Public Works from January to March 1889 in the second Dibbs ministry. In the 1880s and 1890s he was a successful mediator of strikes and was appointed royal commissioner on strikes in 1890. Death Due to poor health he visited Victoria and Tasmania. Fletcher died from heart disease and apoplexy in Melbourne on , survived by his wife, six sons and three daughters.

Fletcher Park, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2 November 1905. Far Left, a statue commemorating James Fletcher.