James Taylor (born 29 March 1835 in Kincardineshire - died 2 May 1892 in Kandy) was a Scottish man who brought tea plantations to Sri Lanka (Ceylon). He arrived in Ceylon in 1852 and landed in Loolecondera. He lived in Sri Lanka until his death (more than half of his lifetime). He worked with Thomas Lipton, another Scottish immigrant, to grow the tea industry in Sri Lanka.