James Drummond (Australian politician)

James Drummond (1814 – 8 February 1873) was an early settler in Western Australia, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1870 to 1873.

Born in 1814, most probably in Cork, Ireland, James Drummond was the son of botanist James Drummond. Nothing is known of his early life, but in 1829 the family emigrated to the Swan River Colony in what is now Western Australia, arriving on board the Parmelia on 1 June. For much of his early life James Drummond helped farm the family's land grants, first on the Swan River and after 1836 at their Hawthornden grant at Toodyay.

Shortly after relocating to Toodyay, Drummond obtained a tract of land adjoining the family grant, becoming a land owner in his own right. He then built the Toodyay district's first flour mill on the site. In 1841 and 1842, he went on a number of exploring expeditions with Captain John Scully.

During the early 1840s, Drummond's father and brother Johnston became increasingly involved in botanical collecting, and his brother John was appointed Inspector of Native Police at York. Consequently, James Drummond become increasingly responsible for the family farm, until by 1844 he was solely responsible for its management. In that year a severe recession hit the colony, and Drummond found himself deeply in debt. He continued to work Hawthornden under great financial stress for a number of years, but by 1850 was sufficiently recovered to take up a sheep station at Dandaragan. That year he joined a large group of pastoralists including Lockier Burges, John Sydney David and Thomas Brown in driving their stock overland to newly discovered grazing land at Champion Bay. On arriving, Drummond took up a large tract of land upon which he established the Oakabella station.

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