James Lorimer

Sir James Lorimer (30 March 1831 – 6 September 1889) was an Australian politician and businessman. He was the first chairman of the Melbourne Harbor Trust and a Member of the Legislative Council in the Victorian parliament from 1879 to 1889.

Personal life Lorimer was born on 30 March 1831 in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, to merchant Thomas Lorimer and Catherine, née Walkin. He was educated at Haddon Hall Academy, and articled to a Liverpool softgoods firm which traded with Africa and America. He travelled to Victoria in 1853 on health advice and chose to stay. He married Eliza Kenworthy, the daughter of the United States consul in Sydney, on 4 March 1858, with whom he raised eleven children, ten of whom survived him.

He died of pleurisy on 6 September 1889, leaving an estate of £60,000, and was buried in St Kilda Cemetery. supporting Sir John Coode's appointment to provide advice on improving Melbourne's shipping facilities. When the Berry government came to power in 1879, Lorimer was dropped from the Trust but rejoined as a representative for Melbourne merchants and traders.

Lorimer was a member of the Scots Church Committee of Management and supported the liberal Charles Strong in his proposal for the separation of Scots Church from the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, but did not join the Australian Church.