James Brand (merchant)

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James McQueen Brand, FRGS (1822–1897) was a Scottish-American merchant who served as the 30th president of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York from 1876 to 1879.

Born January 31, 1822, in Dumfries, Scotland, he was the son of John Brand and Jean McQueen Brand. He studied at Dumfries Academy and began work with his uncle, a West Indian merchant in London. He spent two years in Colombo, Ceylon, and after inheriting his uncle’s fortune, traveled widely before returning to England. In 1850 he became a partner in Mariet, Barber & Company in London, representing the firm there until the Civil War.

In 1863 Brand moved permanently to New York City, opening offices on Lower Broadway and later on Beekman Street, Cliff Street, Burling Slip, and Fulton Street. He was an early member of the New York Produce Exchange and imported New York’s first cargo of coffee from Ceylon.

From 1877 he acted as an agent for W.J. Turney & Co. of Stourbridge and for Sir John Turney of Nottingham, becoming a leading importer of Portland cement. He also belonged to the Building Material Exchange and served as a director of the American Cement Company and the Cheseborough Vaseline Company.

Brand was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1859. He joined the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York in 1850 and later served as manager, second vice-president, and president (1876–1879).

He married Julia Marianne Wilson on February 1, 1860, in London. Brand died after a ten-day illness on May 12, 1897, at his home, 27 West 47th Street, New York City. A funeral was held at Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church, and he was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.