Oscar James Averell (1834-1892) was a public servant in New York and Utah.

Oscar James Averell was born on the 15th of July, 1834 in Cameron, Steuben County, New York to parents Hiram Averell and Huldah Hemenway. He married Helen C. Thompson on November 19, 1862. They had four children together, Julia Thomas Beekman, William, Edward, and Belle Averell Wynkoop. There is not much known for certain about Mr. Averell, but it is known that he worked as a public servant at the city, county, and territorial levels of government for most of his professional life. There is record of him serving as County Clerk in Steuben County, New York in 1962; as well as the Internal Revenue Assessor and Collector in Bath, Steuben County, New York and Elmira, New York during 1867 to 1868. Then in 1880 and 1881 we find him in Utah as the clerk of the Utah Territorial Supreme Court, until at least 1889, when he became the subject of the national court case, United States vs Averill. A few years later, Mr. Averell passed away on December 20, 1892 in Washington D.C.