James Stephens was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

  between 1656 and 1660.

Stephens was the son of Richard Stephens of Estington and brother of Nathaniel Stephens

Nathaniel Stephens

Nathaniel Stephens was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1653. He supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War....

, MP for Gloucestershire in 1628. He was Sheriff of Gloucester in 1639 and 1643 and was a member of the Grand Inquest that reported on the houses damaged by the siege of July 1646. He was mayor of Gloucester in 1649 and 1651.

In November 1656, Stephens was returned as Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Gloucester

Gloucester (UK Parliament constituency)

Gloucester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was established in 1295 to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons but in 1885 representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885...

 in the Third Protectorate Parliament

Third Protectorate Parliament

The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...

 when the elected candidate John Desborough

John Desborough

John Desborough was an English soldier and politician who supported the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War.-Life:He was the son of James Desborough of Eltisley, Cambridgeshire, and of Elizabeth Hatley of Over in the same county, was baptized on 13 November 1608. He was educated for...

 chose to represent Somerset. Stephens was re-elected MP for Gloucester in 1659 in the Third Protectorate Parliament

Third Protectorate Parliament

The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...

. He was appointed captain of the militia regiment of foot in Gloucester on 5 April 1660. He was also elected MP for Gloucester in the Convention Parliament in April 1660. He was senior alderman in 1671.

Stephens died in 1683 and was buried in St Nicholas' Church on 9 November 1683.