James Archibald Stuart-Wortley, PC, QC (3 July 1805 – 22 August 1881)[1] was a British Conservative Party politician.
The youngest son of James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 1st Baron Wharncliffe, he was educated at Christ Church, Oxford.
He became a barrister at the Inner Temple in 1831, rising to be a Queen's Counsel in 1841. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford.
He was elected at the 1835 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax,[1] but was defeated at the 1837 general election.[2] He returned to the House of Commons in 1842, when he was elected at an unopposed by-election as MP for Bute, and held that seat until 1859.[3] At the 1859 general election he stood in the West Riding of Yorkshire, but did not win a seat.[2]
In 1846, he was sworn a Privy Counsellor. He held office as Solicitor General for England and Wales under Lord Palmerston from November 1856 until May 1857.
On 6 May 1846 he married Jane Lawley (d.1900), daughter of Lord Wenlock. They had two sons and five daughters:[4]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rawdon Briggs Sir Charles Wood |
Member of Parliament for Halifax 1835 – 1837 With: Sir Charles Wood |
Succeeded by Sir Charles Wood Edward Davis Protheroe |
| Preceded by Sir William Rae, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Bute 1842 – 1859 |
Succeeded by David Mure |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Richard Bethell |
Solicitor General for England and Wales 1856–1857 |
Succeeded by Sir Henry Singer Keating |