James J. Callanan (1842 – June 8, 1900) was a cooper, merchant and political figure in Newfoundland. He represented St. John's West in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1882 to 1889 and from 1897 to 1900 as a Liberal.
He was born in St. John's. In 1877, he established a retail and wholesale grocery business. Callanan was president of the local Mechanics' Institute from 1876 to 1890. He ran unsuccessfully in 1889 as a member of the Reform party and then ran unsuccessfully as a Conservative in 1893. Callanan served in the city council for St. John's from 1894 to 1898. He died in St. John's in 1900.