Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet JP DL (25 December 1842 – 17 April 1915) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.

He was the eldest son of Robert Rankin (1801–1870), a timber merchant and shipowner, and his wife Ann (née Strang) Ranking (1812–1875).

His maternal grandfather was John Strang, a prominent Scottish merchant of St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

[2] He earned a first-class degree in the Natural Science Tripos at Trinity College, Cambridge.

[3] He was Member of Parliament for Leominster from 1880 to 1885, and from 1886 until the general election of 1906, losing the seat by only 28 votes to the Liberal candidate.