James Underwood (4 September 1771 – 10 February 1844) was a noted shipwright, merchant businessman and distiller in Australia.
[1] He learned his trade in Sydney, becoming joint owner of a merchant ship, Diana in 1799.
[1] He continued to build ships, including a 200 tonne King George, and Casuarina bought by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin.
He became one of the leading figures of the fledgling sealing industry in New South Wales, employing over sixty men and bringing 30,000 skins annually.
[1] He returned to England to retire in 1840 and died four years later in Tulse Hill in south London.