James Macdonald Oxley

James Oxley
Born(1855-10-22)October 22, 1855
Halifax, Nova Scotia
DiedSeptember 9, 1907(1907-09-09) (aged 51)
OccupationWriter (novelist), lawyer
NationalityCanadian
Period19th, 20th century
GenreJuvenile fiction

James Macdonald Oxley (October 22, 1855 – September 9, 1907) was a Canadian writer of juvenile fiction.

Oxley was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of the merchant James Black Oxley and Ellen Macdonald. He was educated at Halifax Grammar School and Dalhousie University where he graduated with a B.A. in 1874, earning honors in mental and moral philosophy.[1] During this time he served as assistant editor for the Dalhousie Gazette.[2] He was called to the bar in 1874,[3] studied law at Harvard University in 1876–77, then was awarded a LL.B. from a Halifax University in 1878.[2]

He practised the legal profession in Halifax for five years before joining the Ottawa Department of Marine and Fisheries as a legal adviser.[3] On June 10, 1880 he was married to Mary Morrow.[2] From 1880–83, in addition to his regular job, he worked as editor for the Nova Scotia Decisions. In 1882 he edited Admiralty Decisions.[3] Oxley was a reporter at the House of Assembly from 1881–83.[2] He became a manager for the Sun Life Assurance Company in 1891.[3] During his leisure moments,[2] he began writing a series of juvenile fiction books for boys. His works were based on historical events in Canada and the U.S., with a focus on travel and adventure.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wallace1940 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference Rose1886 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Gilman1903 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ShorttDoughty1914 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).