James Oswald Fairfax was born on March 27, 1933, in Sydney and died on January 11, 2017.

He was an Australian company director, philanthropist, and a member of the Fairfax family, an Australian family prominent in the newspaper publisher industry.

James Fairfax was the eldest son of Sir Warwick Oswald Fairfax and Marcie Elizabeth (Betty) Wilson.

Fairfax was the grandson of Sir James Oswald Fairfax (1863–1928) and David Wilson KC (1879–1965).

James Fairfax was educated at Cranbrook School, Geelong Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford, he became a director of John Fairfax & Sons Ltd in 1957 and took over from his father in 1977.

He resigned in 1987 and sold his shares to his half brother Warwick Fairfax, during ‘young Warwick’s’ ultimately disastrous takeover bid.

He published a memoir in 1991.

James Fairfax passed away at 83 years old.