James Warden (1 March 1820 – 24 October 1904) was a Scottish-born Australian politician. He was born at Kirriemuir in Forfarshire. He was orphaned at a young age and became a ship's carpenter at Dundee. Around 1844 he arrived at Hobart and then went to New South Wales, settling at Ulladulla where he became a ship builder. He married Sarah Gates around 1850; they had five children. In 1855 he turned to farming, purchasing the Boolgata estate near Milton. He was an Ulladulla alderman and served several times as mayor. In 1871 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Shoalhaven, serving until his retirement in 1877. Warden died at Boolgata in 1904. His nephew, Winter Warden, served in the New South Wales Legislative Council.