Born in Paisley, Scotland in the Kingdom of Great Britain, he was the son of James Craig.
Craig came to the United States in 1790 and settled with his family in Orange County, New York.
James Craig founded the hamlet of Craigville in the Town of Blooming Grove, and built a paper mill.
He was elected again as a Jacksonian to the 21st United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1829, to July 12, 1830, when he resigned.
On March 22, 1831, he was appointed by Secretary of the Treasury Samuel D. Ingham as one of three Commissioners of Insolvency for the Southern District of New York[1] He was Surveyor of the Port of New York from 1833 to 1839, appointed by President Andrew Jackson.