James Britten (3 May 1846 – 8 October 1924) was an English botanist.
Born in Chelsea, London, he moved to High Wycombe in 1865 to begin a medical career. However he became increasingly interested in botany, and began writing papers on the subject. His first publication was probably that published in the Journal of Botany in 1863.
In 1869 he was appointed a junior assistant at the Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In 1871 he joined the Department of Botany at the British Museum. In 1879 he succeeded Henry Trimen as editor of the Journal of Botany. He would hold the editorship for around 45 years. Botanist Norman Hall wrote of Britten: "Britten threw himself fully into the editorship, although his pungent remarks on papers submitted were not always appreciated."[1]
Britten was also heavily involved in the Catholic Truth Society. This had lapsed in 1872, but Britten help revive it in 1884, and dominated the movement for many years.[2] In 1896 during his time as secretary of the Society they published Protestant fiction.
This earned him an appointment as Knight and later Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Leo XIII.[1] He died at age 79.