| James Sutherland | |
| Order: | 17th |
| Mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin | |
| Term Start: | April 1872 |
| Term End: | April 1874 |
| Predecessor: | Anson Rogers |
| Successor: | Hiram Merrill |
| State1: | Wisconsin |
| State Senate1: | Wisconsin |
| District1: | 17th |
| Term Start1: | January 1, 1855 |
| Term End1: | January 3, 1859 |
| Predecessor1: | Ezra Miller |
| Successor1: | Zebulon P. Burdick |
| Party: | Republican Free Soil (before 1854) |
| Birth Date: | 20 March 1820 |
| Birth Place: | Smithfield, Ohio, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Restingplace: | Oak Hill Cemetery, |
| Alma Mater: | Norwalk Seminary |
James Sutherland (March 20, 1820 – October 30, 1905) was an American educator, historian, and Republican politician. He was the 17th mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin, (1872 - 1874) and was an important leader in the development of the city's school system. Earlier, he represented Rock County in the Wisconsin State Senate (1855 - 1859), where he led the effort to create the Wisconsin normal schools.
Sutherland was born on March 20, 1820, in Smithfield, Ohio.[1] [2] In December 1846, he married Elizabeth Withington. They had seven children.[1] Sutherland moved to Janesville, Wisconsin in 1847.[1] He was a member of the American Bible Society and Vice President of the Wisconsin Historical Society. He died in Janesville in 1905.[1]
Sutherland was a delegate to the Free Soil Party National Convention in 1852. In 1854, he took party in organizing the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
In 1848, Sutherland became Janesville's first Superintendent of Schools. He then went on to serve three terms in the Senate representing the 17th district. Later, he was elected Mayor of Janesville in 1872 and re-elected in 1873.