James Thevathasan Rutnam (1905-1988) was a Sri Lankan historian, educationalist, writer, and politician.

[2][3] Rutnam was associated with S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike during his early days having joined Progressive Nationalist Party and the Ceylon National Congress.

He unsuccessfully contested for the State Council of Ceylon from Nuwara Eliya and was defeated by E. W. Abeygunasekera in 1931, and 1936 and by M. D. Banda in the by-election that followed Abeygunasekera resignation in 1943.

He is the founder of the Evelyn Rutnam Institute for Inter-Cultural Studies.

This Sri Lankan biographical article is a stub.