James Scott (1900 – 21 January 1962) was a Scottish trade unionist. Scott was born in West Lothian. When he was fifteen years old, he joined the Royal Navy, serving during World War I. In 1919, he moved to work in the Merchant Navy, in ships' engine rooms. He remained in this post until 1934, when he was appointed as the National Union of Seamen's (NUS) full-time delegate in Glasgow.