James Shewan (6 January 1848 – 7 May 1914) was a Scottish-American businessman who made his fortune in real estate in the United States.

[1] After his death, his sons ran the business and during World War I, the shipyard had the largest tonnage capacity of any dry docks in America.

[5] Together,[6] they had three daughters and two sons, including:[1] James owned an estate in the Hudson Valley opposite West Point known as Inverugie (named after a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that lies on the entrance to the River Ugie just north of Peterhead) and the Plumbush estate in Cold Spring.

[11][12] Shewan died at his home, 43 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, on 7 May 1914 and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

[14][1] Upon the death of his widow in 1934, she left her entire estate, valued at several million dollars, to her three daughters and nothing to her son, stating: "they are amply provided for and have such splendid prospects for further bounty that none of them needs and gift, legacy or bequest from me.