James Lewis Little (1871 – February 25, 1967) was a

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

captain and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. He represented Bonavista in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 1924 to 1928. He was born and was educated in Bonavista. Little married Mary Butler. He worked in the Labrador fishery. He was elected to the Newfoundland assembly in 1924 as a

Liberal-Conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...

. With two other members of Walter S. Monroe's caucus, Little joined the opposition in 1926 to protest the government's policies. He did not run for reelection in 1928. Little served on the 1936 Seafisheries Commission which published its report in 1937. Little was honoured by the King of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, the

Royal Humane Society The Royal Humane Society is a British charity which promotes lifesaving intervention. It was founded in 1774 as the ''Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned'', for the purpose of rendering first aid in cases of near drowning. Hi ...

and the Carnegie Commission for rescuing Norwegian mariners from the wreck of the ''Snorre'' in 1907. The ''Snorre'' had been anchored in Bonavista harbour but was set adrift after its anchor chains snapped in a storm and crashed into the rocks at Canaille Point. Little swam into the raging sea to save a sailor who had lost his grip on a rescue line. He had also come to the rescue of other ships in distress. Little died in Bonavista in 1967.

References

1871 births 1967 deaths 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Sea captains Dominion of Newfoundland politicians {{Newfoundland-politician-stub