In 1833, James Knox became a clerk for the inspector of roads in Hobart Town. He then worked in the Colonial Secretary's Office, finally becoming Assistant Colonial Secretary. He retired in 1857 and returned to England for the rest of his life.
He wrote many poems and prose sketches that appeared in the local newspapers and magazines of Tasmania. He often wrote, in the custom of the times, under a number of pseudonyms. Knox's poetry was based on the English experience of his youth; the only piece with a Tasmanian connection is entitled 'Impromptu on Mount Wellington', not published in his selected works.