James Harrison Oliver (1857 – April 6, 1928) was a rear admiral and member of the Naval Board of Strategy in World War I.

In 1893, he moved to Shirley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia, where he married and established his lifelong residence, returning there whenever he was not serving in the navy.

He was promoted to captain in 1910 and rear admiral in 1916, just prior to the United States entrance into World War I.

On March 28, 1917, he was appointed as Governor of the United States Virgin Islands by President Woodrow Wilson.

[4] The US government promptly granted him a loan of $200,000 ($3.4 million, adjusted for inflation) to cover occupation expenses, including building fortifications and stationing troops on the island.