Researching James Hunter

He is a freelance historian and author, and has written thirteen books on the Highlands and Islands and its global diaspora.

His most recent book, Set Adrift Upon the World: The Sutherland Clearances, published in 2015, presents the struggle for survival of the people cleared from the straths of Sutherland during the early nineteenth century and relocated to Canada, landing at Hudson Bay. This book was the winner of the Saltire Society's History Book of the Year Award in 2016.

He gave the first Sabhal Mòr Lecture in 1990.

He was born in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, Scotland in 1839, the son of Archibald Hunter and Elizabeth Hill, came to Canada West with his family in 1842 and was educated at Goderich and Upper Canada College. He became a merchant at Durham and also served as reeve for Glenelg Township. In 1863, he married Kate McDonald. Hunter died in office in 1891.

Nicknamed "Hound Dog" for his long-striding running ability, he made an instant impact in the NFL. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound cornerback led the Lions with seven pass interceptions and was runner-up to future Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes as NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year. He got his first start in 1976 at free safety, subbing for another Lions’ great, Dick Jauron who had broken his leg. He shifted to left cornerback in 1977 playing alongside another future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lem Barney. In his seven seasons with the Lions (1976–82), Hunter led the Lions in three seasons in pass interceptions (1976, ’77 and ’80) and had 27 career interceptions. He played in 86 Lions games before a neck injury sustained late in the 1982 season ended his career.

Hunter, Jimmy "Spiderman" Allen, and David Hill recorded a remake of Queen's hit "Another One Bites the Dust" in 1980.

On November 14th, 2019, it was announced that Hunter would be part of the 2020 Black College Football Hall of Fame induction class.

Hunter was born at Springburn, near Glasgow, Scotland and migrated with his family to Brisbane in 1884 educated there. He joined the state public service and became an accountant in the Queensland Railways. In 1908, he married Florence Phoebe Nason, who came from a family of pastoralists established near Surat. She predeceased him in 1960 aged 76. In 1912, he set up as a public accountant at Dalby.

Hunter won the Australian House of Representatives seat of Maranoa at a 1921 by-election. In November 1934 he was appointed a minister without portfolio in the third Lyons ministry. He was not reappointed to the ministry after the November 1937 election. In 1936, he cofounded the Queensland Country Party, which replaced the Country and Progressive National Party in Queensland. He retired from parliament ahead of the November 1940 election.

Hunter died at a retirement home in the Brisbane suburb of Sandgate and was buried in Toowong Cemetery. He was survived by his two sons.

Hunter is a prominent figure in the sociology of religion and the sociology of culture, as much of his work dedicated to the study of Evangelicalism and cultural change. He is also notable for popularizing the term culture war.

At the 2013 World Rowing Championships held at Tangeum Lake, Chungju in South Korea, he won a silver medal in the lightweight men's four with James Lassche, Curtis Rapley, and Peter Taylor. At the 2014 World Rowing Championships held at Bosbaan, Amsterdam, he won a silver medal in the lightweight men's four with Peter Taylor, Alistair Bond, and Curtis Rapley. At the 2017 New Zealand rowing nationals at Lake Ruataniwha, he partnered with Tom Murray in the premier men's pair and they became national champions for the second year in a row. At the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida, he won a bronze medal with Murray.

Hunter has sketched different landscapes of South India, including Bangalore, Mysore, Hosur, Kancheepuram, Madras, Arcot, Sriperumbadur, etc. These paintings were published as the third section of A Brief history of ancient and modern India embellished with coloured engravings published by Edward Orme (London) between 1802 and 05, as Picturesque Views in the Kingdom of Mysore published in 1804.