James Finlen (probably born 1829) was a British Chartist and radical activist who was noted as an orator but attracted notoriety for his support for Irish republicanism and alleged neglect of his family.
He was elected to the executive of the National Charter Association (NCA) in 1852, and was a delegate to the Manchester Labour Parliament in 1854.
He was also associated with the decidedly ultra-radical Holborn branch of the Reform League and developed a reputation as a theatrical but effective orator.
Newspapers also accused Finlen of neglecting his family when his wife was admitted to an asylum and his children taken into the workhouse.
Cartoons disparaged Finlen in an attempt to mock the Reform League and to taint the mainstream Liberal Party leader, William Ewart Gladstone.