James Cox Aikins was born on March 30, 1823, in York County, Ontario.

He was a politician and Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba (1882-1888). He received his early education in Upper Canada (Ontario) and graduated in 1843 from Victoria College and University, Cobourg. He represented the County of Peel in the Legislative Assembly of Canada from 1854 to 1861. In 1862, he was elected a member of the Legislative Council and continued until 1867. Following Confederation, he occupied a seat in the Senate until December 1869, when he became Secretary of State, a position he held until 1873. In 1878, when the Macdonald Government was returned to power, he again became Secretary of State. In 1880, he was made Minister of Inland Revenue but resigned in March 1882, and on September 22, 1882, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba. He served for five years and seven months (1888), and it was during his term the boundaries of the province were enlarged. In 1896, he was reappointed to the Senate. He was a Methodist and took an active part in the founding of Wesley College (now the University of Winnipeg).

In 1845, he married Mary Elizabeth Jane Somerset (1819–1899). He died on August 6, 1904, in Toronto, Ontario.