James Doonan (1868 – 19 April 1932) was a Scottish trade unionist. Born in West Calder, in West Lothian, Doonan left school at the age of twelve and became a coal miner. He soon became involved in trade unionism, and was elected as checkweighman of his local pit. This led him to election as assistant agent for the Amalgamated Miners and Manual Workers Union (AMMW), which represented local miners, and as secretary of his local Bathgate Miners' Association. Around this time, demarcation disputes between the AMMW and the Lanarkshire Miners' County Union (LMCU) led the union to leave the Scottish Miners' Federation (SMF). The SMF sent Robert Small of the LMCU to attempt to found a rival union in West Lothian, and he attempted to persuade Doonan to lead it, but Doonan refused, and the AMMW late