James MacAdam was born in Belfast and was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, and at Trinity College, Dublin. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society and used the opportunity of examining excavations being made during the construction of the Irish railway systems. He had a private museum of geological specimens which was regarded as the best in Ireland. In 1849 he was appointed the first librarian of Queen's College, Belfast. He was President of the Belfast Natural History Society and a founder of the Botanic Gardens, Belfast.

Born:	1801
Died:	1861