Sir James Robert Gowan, KCMG, KC (December 22, 1815 – March 18, 1909) was a Canadian lawyer, judge, and senator.

Born in Cahore, County Wexford, Ireland, the son of Henry Hatton Gowan and Elizabeth Burkitt, he was educated privately in Dublin.

In 1843, he was appointed judge of the newly created Simcoe District, the largest jurisdiction in Upper Canada.

In 1885, he was appointed a Senator on the advice of John Alexander Macdonald representing the senatorial division of Barrie, Ontario.

There is a James Robert Gowan fonds at Library and Archives Canada.