James Matthew Toohey (18 March 1850 – 25 September 1895) was a brewer and politician in the Colony of New South Wales.

He was born in Melbourne to businessman Matthew Toohey and Honora Hall, his middle name referring to Father Mathew, the Irish apostle of temperance.

On the major issues of the election, he noted that it scarcely needed to be said that he was opposed to the local option, put forward by the teetotallers to reduce the consumption of alcohol, stating that "people will not be made total abstainers by Act of Parliament".

[4] He praised the despatch of the New South Wales Contingent to the Sudan, describing it as "a huge advertisement for the colony",[4] and that tariffs needed to be altered so as to protect local manufacturers.

[2] His body was returned to Sydney for a funeral at St Mary's Cathedral,[8] and he was buried in Rookwood Cemetery.