James Stephens (8 August 1821 – 14 November 1889) was a Welsh-born stonemason, Chartist, and Australian trade unionist who was active in the eight-hour day movement in the 1850s.

[1] He joined the Chartist movement and was one of the participants in the Newport Rising, which led to a riot and retaliation at the Westgate Hotel on 4 November 1839 when soldiers fired on the crowd of rebels, killing twenty.

He remained active in Chartism, carried the banner at rallies, and was acquainted with such leaders as William Lovett and Feargus O'Connor,[2] but like many other supporters of the cause increasingly directed his energies to craft unionism.

[1] When the Australian gold rush created an enormous demand for tradesmen and builders, Stephens, like many other Chartists, migrated to Victoria, arriving in July 1853.

On the "glorious 21 April" Stephens walked off his work as a stonemason helping to construct Melbourne University, and led a major demonstration to Parliament House.

His public work reduced as a result and Stephens was largely forgotten, being regarded by the Operative Masons' Society as secondary to Galloway – who had died at the early age of 32 in 1860[6] – in having initiated the eight-hour agitation.

He received a mixture of support and opposition, and founded the Eight Hours Pioneers' Association with another early protagonist, Ben Douglass, who was active in the Victorian Trades Hall Council.