James P. Boyd (1826–1890) was an Irish-born Canadian businessman, politician, and religious minister active in nineteenth-century Ontario. Born in Limerick, Ireland, Boyd emigrated to Canada West in 1847 and settled in Vankleek Hill, where he married Adelia Caroline Wells. He became a prominent local entrepreneur, working as a timber merchant and owning a variety of local enterprises, including a sawmill, a gristmill, a carding mill, and a general store. His civic involvement also included serving as the reeve of West Hawkesbury Township.\n\nBeyond his commercial endeavors, Boyd was a minister of the Congregational Church of London, Ontario. He entered provincial politics in 1867, successfully defeating Thomas McGee to represent Prescott in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member, serving until 1871. Boyd later attempted to transition to federal politics, running unsuccessfully for the same seat in the House of Commons in 1874. His later years were marked by financial challenges, which forced him to sell his mills in 1878.
