James Whitney may refer to:

• James Whitney (politician) (1843–1914), Canadian politician in the province of Ontario
• James Whitney (filmmaker) (1921–1982)
• James Amaziah Whitney (1839–1907), United States patent lawyer and writer
• James Pounder Whitney (1857–1939), British historian
• Jim Whitney (1857–1891), baseball player
• James Scollay Whitney (1811–1878), American business executive and politician
• James Lyman Whitney (1835–1910), American librarian
• James Whitney (criminal) (c.1660–1694), highwayman from Stevenage