James Maury (1718–1769) was a prominent Virginia educator and Anglican cleric during the American Colonial period and the progenitor of the prominent Maury political family. The Reverend James Maury was a participant with the notable lawsuit that became known as "The Parson's Cause" in 1763, in which the young attorney Patrick Henry argued that the colony had the right to establish its own method of payment to clergy (which had been vetoed by the Crown).
Born in Dublin of French Protestant "Huguenot" ancestry, James Maury came to the Virginia colony as an infant with his parents. He attended The College of William and Mary and then established his own classical school for boys, where he taught the young Thomas Jefferson among others. In February 1742, Maury went to England and was ordained as an Anglican cleric of the established Church of England. Returning to Virginia, The Reverend James Maury was in charge for one year of a parish in King William County and then served for 18 years in Louisa County at Fredericksville Parish.[1] He was highly regarded for his piety and learning. Maury was in charge of this parish until his death on June 9, 1769.