JAMES ABRAHAM COREA was the youngest son of Mudaliyar Johannes Christoffel Corea and Sophia Ameresekera. His father was the Mudaliyar of Chilaw. He was the fourth son in the family and was born in 1875. He received his secondary education at Wesley College, Colombo, along with his older brothers Alan and Jumeaux. During his time there, he passed the Calcutta University matriculation examination.

James Abraham Corea studied law under the Council of Legal Education and became a Proctor in 1902. He practiced law at Chilaw, where he owned several coconut estates.  In the same year, he married his relative, Agnes Eveline Rhoda Corea, who was a daughter of Charles Edward Corea and Henrietta Seneviratne.