Judge. Born in London, a son of Vincent Dowling of Queen’s County, Ireland. He went to St Paul’s School, London, and then became a parliamentary reporter until he was called to the Bar in May 1815. He practised at the Middlesex Sessions and, with Archer Ryland, edited King’s Bench Reports 1822-31, in nine volumes, and Magistrates’ Cases 1822-27, in four volumes. James applied to the Colonial Office for an appointment and in June 1827, he was offered the post of chief justice at Dominica, but in August, with help from James Stephen and Henry Brougham, obtained a puisne judgeship in New South Wales. He arrived at Sydney in the Hooghly with his wife and six children on 24 February 1828 and next day was sworn in. In December 1832, Stephen retired and James became second judge. In January 1834 some remarks of Dowling’s on the conduct of a criminal trial led to the three judges drawing up an important memorandum suggesting many possible improvements in dealing with criminal cases. In September 1835 James was appointed acting chief justice during the absence of Forbes, who was on long leave. William Westbrooke Burton, the third judge, objected to this on the ground that his previous appointment as a judge at the Cape of Good Hope made him senior to James. In April 1837 Forbes retired from his office, and James was appointed chief justice in August 1837. James was also knighted in 1837. At the time of his death, James was preparing a volume of law reports of the decisions of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The volume was eventually published in 2005. In June 1844 the chief justice collapsed on the bench. His doctors now certified that a long sea voyage and a change of climate were essential to his survival, and James applied for leave directly to the governor. Before the ship in which he had booked his passage was ready to sail, James had another relapse and died in September 1844. (bio by: Shock)