James Morrison (businessman)

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James Morrison (1789 - 1857) was a British millionaire businessman and Member of Parliament.

The son of a Hampshire innkeeper, Morrison married into a London drapery business and quickly made it one of the most profitable in the World. He later established the US trading company, Morrison, Cryder & Co. He invested heavily in foreign railways and also in art. His art collection included works by Constable, Cuyp, Jan Steen, Murillo, Poussin, Rembrant and Rubens. In 1854, he bought the Isle of Islay for nearly half a million pounds. He lived at the Pavilion at Fonthill in Wiltshire before purchasing Basildon Park in Berkshire. He also entered politics and was MP for St Ives (1830), Ipswich (1832) and the Inverness Burghs (1840 - 1847).