James A. Bowley (c.1844 – January 30, 1891) was a teacher, lawyer, judge, school commissioner, politician, and newspaper publisher from South Carolina. He escaped slavery with help from Harriet Tubman. He served in the U.S. Navy. After the American Civil War he returned to Georgetown, South Carolina taught in schools and was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. His former home in Georgetown, South Carolina, where he lived with his wife Laura Clark (1854–1932), is a historic site.