| James H. Knowlton | |
| Office: | Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly |
| Constituency: | Rock 3rd district |
| Term Start: | January 1, 1858 |
| Term End: | January 1, 1859 |
| Predecessor: | Ezra A. Foot |
| Successor: | William E. Wheeler |
| Constituency1: | Lafayette 3rd district |
| Term Start1: | January 1, 1856 |
| Term End1: | January 1, 1857 |
| Predecessor1: | Joseph White |
| Successor1: | James Earnest |
| Constituency2: | Lafayette 2nd district |
| Term Start2: | January 1, 1854 |
| Term End2: | January 1, 1855 |
| Predecessor2: | Philemon Simpson |
| Successor2: | A. A. Townsend |
| Birth Date: | 22 August 1813 |
| Birth Place: | Canandaigua, New York |
| Death Place: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Restingplace: | Evergreen Hill Cemetery, Middleton, Wisconsin |
| Spouse: | Agnes Flanders |
| Relatives: | Wiram Knowlton (brother) |
| Profession: | lawyer, politician |
James H. Knowlton (August 22, 1813January 29, 1879) was an American politician and lawyer. He served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. His brother, Wiram Knowlton, was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Knowlton was born in Canandaigua, New York, in 1813.[1] His brother and parents moved to the Wisconsin Territory in the 1830s, and he joined them at Janesville in 1838.[2] He was there only briefly before moving to Mineral Point, and in 1847, he moved to Shullsburg, in Lafayette County.[1] At Shullsburg he completed his legal studies, was admitted to the bar, and served as the first probate judge of the county.[1]
He was a member of the legal team defending Judge Levi Hubbell during his 1853 impeachment, and later that year was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat. He was not reelected in 1854, but was returned to office again in 1856, this time as a Republican. Following the 1855 election, however, Knowlton became involved in Republican gubernatorial candidate Coles Bashford's legal challenge of the election results. Bashford ultimately prevailed and took office in March 1856.[1]
After the 1856 legislative session, Knowlton moved back to Janesville, in Rock County, where he was elected to his third and final Assembly term in 1857.[1]
In 1862, he was a candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court but was not elected.[1]
Knowlton moved to Chicago in 1865 and continued his law practice. He lost his entire library in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.[1]
He died in 1879 after a long period of illness.[1]
Knowlton's brother, Wiram Knowlton, was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[3]