Sir James Pender, 1st Baronet (28 September 1841 – 20 May 1921) was a businessman, yachtsman and Conservative Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1895 to 1900.
Pender was the eldest son from Sir John Pender's first marriage to Marion Cairn. His father was the founder of the Eastern Telegraph Company, which later became Cable & Wireless. His younger half-brother was Sir John Denison-Pender, father of John Denison-Pender, 1st Baron Pender.
He was a Director of Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company 'Telcon' taken over decades later by British Insulated Callender's Cables, Director Globe Telegraph Trust Director Direct United States Cable Company Ltd, Director Eastman Kodak New Jersey, and the of Chairman Eastman Kodak (UK) from 1898 until 1913.
He unsuccessfully contested Northamptonshire Mid at the 1892 general election. He was elected at the 1895 general election and sat as Member of Parliament for Mid Northamptonshire. He held the seat until his defeat at the 1900 general election.
In 1897 he was made a baronet, of Thornby Hall in the County of Northampton.
In 1902 Pender won the King's Cup at the Royal Yacht Squadron regatta with his yawl Brynhild (Charles E. Nicholson design, 1899), beating the Kaiser Wilhelm's schooner Meteor III (Archibald Cary Smith design, 1902); the prize was presented to him by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.
James Pender was the Rear Commodore of the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1904, and during that year he won the Kaiserlicher Yacht Club regatta with Brynhild at the Kieler Yacht-Club and was presented with the prize by the Kaiser, who had anonymously (as he always used to at the Kiel Yacht Club) donated that prize to the Kiel Yacht Club in the name of 'A friend of Sailing'.
In 1908, Pender's new Camper & Nicholsons 23mR Brynhild II defeated Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock and Myles Burton Kennedy's White Heather II (both Fife designs) in the Cowes regatta and the King's Cup.
James Pender's other yachts Lamorna and Florinda (later rechristened Gosport Mistake and Siesta) were all built and designed by Camper & Nicholsons.
Pender married Mary Rose Gregge-Hopwood of Hopwood Hall. They lived at Donhead House, Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire. He is buried with his wife at St Andrew's Church, Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire.
Born 1841. Educated privately and at London University.
Commenced yachting in 1860 with a 2-tonner, and in the two following years owned 5 and 10 tonners respectively when quartered at Gibraltar and Malta.
In 1895 Sir James owned a 1-rater by Payne, and next year chartered the Alarm, a 40-ton schooner, for the season. In 1897 he cruised in the Siesta, a 130-ton schooner, which was subsequently wrecked on the Scillies. Florinda was purchased and raced by Sir James during the two seasons of 1898 and 1899. In 1900 he bought Brynhild, which he sold in 1906.
Among the trophies which these boats have brought to Sir James are three King’s Cups, including the Coronation Cup, six German, four French, and six English. To their record may also be placed a long list of money prizes. In 1906 Sir James bought the famous first-class cutter Kariad for racing, and in 1907 he built the first-class cutter Brynhild II.
Clubs: Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal Dorset, Royal Corinthian, Royal Southampton, Royal Cinque Ports, Royal Cruising, and Royal Thames. Of the latter Sir James is Vice-Commodore.
Residences: Donhead House, St. Andrews, Salisbury ; and 2, Mount Street, W.
Vessels; Florinda; Brynhild; Kariad; Brynhild II