Hamilton Evans 'Tony' James (born February 3, 1951, in Wyandotte, Michigan) is an American billionaire investment banker and prominent business executive. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1973 as a John Harvard Scholar and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975 as a Baker Scholar. James began his career in investment banking at firms including Morgan Stanley before joining The Blackstone Group in 2002 as Vice Chairman. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2002 to 2018, then as Executive Vice Chairman until January 2022, playing a key role in transforming Blackstone into a global asset management leader managing trillions in assets. He is currently Executive Chairman of Global Investment Research at Blackstone.

Beyond Blackstone, James has held influential board positions, including as a director of Costco Wholesale since 1988, where he served as Lead Independent Director from 2005 and became non-executive Chairman in August 2017. Since 2021, he has co-chaired the board of trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He chairs Jefferson River Capital, his family investment firm, and serves on boards such as the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Center for American Progress. James has engaged in philanthropy focused on health care, environmental conservation, and cultural institutions, and has shown bipartisan political involvement, donating to both Republican and Democratic causes, including hosting fundraisers for Barack Obama in 2012.

Married to Amabel George Boyce since 1973, James has three children. As of March 2024, his net worth is estimated at $4.2 billion by Forbes, reflecting his success in finance. He maintains interests in artificial intelligence, policy advocacy, and outdoor conservation, underscoring his broad influence in business, politics, and society.