James Isdell (c. 1849 – 5 October 1919) was an Australian pastoralist and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1903 to 1906, representing the seat of Pilbara.
[1] Isdell was elected to parliament at the 1903 Pilbara by-election, which had been caused by the resignation of Walter Kingsmill.
[3] After leaving parliament, Isdell managed a mine at Nullagine for a period, and later served as a Protector of Aborigines.
He was appointed "Travelling Protector" in 1907 and in this role oversaw the forced removal of mixed race children from their Indigenous parents, which he considered a moral duty, once telling his superior “I consider it a great scandal to allow any of these half-caste girls to remain with the natives.”[4] Isdell also authored several books on the future of the Pilbara region.
[1] He died in Perth in October 1919, having spent the last few years of his life in poverty.