James Hervey Rutherford [also known as Hervey Rutherford and as Jim Rutherford] was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1874. He was initially articled to an Edinburgh architect whose name is not known. Following his death in 1893 Rutherford transferred his articles to Robert Rowand Anderson (1834-1921) of the Edinburgh firm Wardrop & Anderson with whom he remained until 1899. During these years he attended Edinburgh School of Applied Art and Edinburgh Watt College. He then moved to London where he worked as an assistant to John Belcher (1841-1913) in 1899-1900, to Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes (1858-1925) in 1900-01, and to William Douglas Caröe (1853-1938) in 1901. In 1901 Rutherford moved to York and from 1901 to 1918 was employed as Chief Assistant to Walter Henry Brierley (1862-1926).
In 1918 Rutherford went into partnership with Brierley as Brierley & Rutherford. The partnership ended in 1926 with the death of Brierley. Rutherford formed a new partnership, Rutherford & Syme, with John Stuart Syme (1872-1958) in York. The partnership was dissolved in 1939 when Rutherford retired as an architect.
Rutherford was a Pugin Student in 1899 and an Owen Jones Student in 1901. From 24 January 1899 to January 1904 he attended classes at the Royal Academy Schools in London. He was elected a Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (LRIBA) in 1911 and admitted a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1925. He died in York, Yorkshire on on 23 March 1946
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 2: L-Z. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001