James Chapman, a tailor and draper of Kent, England, emigrated to South Australia with his wife Mary and their seven children aboard Rajah, arriving at Adelaide in April 1850.
He founded a drapery on Hindley Street, at that time the premier business strip in the young city.
[2] Among their staff was Harry Dickson Gell, later chairman of trustees of the State Bank.
[3] They dissolved the partnership seven years later, and in 1886 Chapman went into business as hotel broker and licensed valuator, with an office in Pirie Street.
[4] On the death that year of his brother Edgar Chapman, of the brewing firm of Simms & Chapman, he took over management of his estate, which included the Theatre Royal in Hindley Street, though he was acting for the ailing brother as early as 1883,[5] In January 1885 he had joined George Rignold and James Allison as lessee and in December they withdrew from the partnership, leaving Chapman as sole manager[6] until Wybert Reeve became lessee in 1887.