James McCleery (December 2, 1837 – November 5, 1871) was an Ohio-born lawyer and officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

He received a commission as second lieutenant of Company A, 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in 1861, and was wounded in the Battle of Shiloh in 1862, as a result losing his right arm.

He retired on December 15, 1870, having settled in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, where he purchased a plantation and went into the practice of law.

He soon moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he was appointed superintendent of public education for the fourth division.

McCleery was elected as a Republican from Louisiana's 4th congressional district to the Forty-second Congress and served from March 4, 1871, until his death while on a visit in New York City on November 5, 1871.