James Gardiner (12 June 1861 – 27 October 1928) was an Australian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1901 to 1904 and from 1914 to 1921. He served as colonial treasurer under two premiers, Walter James and Henry Lefroy. Gardiner was also the inaugural state leader of the Country Party from 1914 to 1915, and briefly served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from March to June 1917. Early life Gardiner was born at Papakura, New Zealand (south of Auckland), to Mary (née Craig) and George Gardiner. Moving to South Australia early in 1865, Gardiner was initially educated in Port Augusta then from 1870 in Saddleworth. After he left school at age 11, he worked in the business of wheat-buyers Ernst Siekmann and John Moule (politician), then with the South Australian Carrying Company Limited for three years and other commercial companies in Saddleworth. From 1882 to 1885 he was an accountant in Naracoorte, and secretary of its Pastoral and Agricultural Society, the Naracoorte Institute and the Naracoorte Turf Club. In early 1886 Gardiner briefly took a post as a provisional school teacher at Lochaber, South Australia. Gardiner then worked from mid-1886 in Melbourne as an accountant and auctioneer for William Hamilton & Co., a stock and station agency. After leaving the stock and station agency about 1893, Gardiner set up business for himself for two years, then accepted a position with the publisher Gordon & Gotch. Following news of gold strikes in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Gardiner was sent to Perth in 1895 to establish and manage a new branch. Gardiner relinquished his position with Gordon & Gotch to set up his own auctioneering business in 1900 which promoted suburban and rural land sales. He also pursued land settlement and development, and was foremost in developing land around the Moora region. From 1897 to 1899 he served as chairman of the Western Australian Cricket Council. He subsequently served two further terms as president of the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA), 1906 to 1915 and 1917 to 1924. Western Australian federation Gardiner ran for parliament at the 1900 Albany by-election, after George Leake resigned. Although he lost that by-election, he was actively involved in the campaign for the federation of Australia. During the federal campaign, the Western Australian parliament at first refused the people of the colony the right to vote for or against accepting