James Matthews Legaré (November 26, 1823 – March 30, 1859) was an American poet and inventor.
Legaré was born on November 26, 1823, in Charleston, South Carolina.
He was a relative of Hugh S.
Legaré.
He was by profession an inventor, artist, and author, but whose ill health prevented the commercialization of his devices.
He contributed poetry to magazines, and published a single volume, Orta-Undis and other poems in 1848.
Orta-undis means "sprung from water".
Legaré died on March 30, 1859, in Aiken, South Carolina.