James M. Baker took the Oath of Office as Wilmington’s 54th Mayor originally on Tuesday, January 2, 2001, during a Special Meeting of the Wilmington City Council. Mayor Baker had served as President of the Wilmington City Council since 1984, the first African-American elected to that post, after having served as a Council member since 1972.

Born in Fostoria, Ohio in 1942, he completed high school there and enlisted in the Air Force, from which he was honorably discharged in 1966. He immediately joined VISTA, the domestic Peace Corps program, and was assigned to Wilmington to work with youth groups, among them the Wilmington Youth Emergency Action Council (WYEAC). Since then, Mr. Baker has held staff and executive positions with a number of private and governmental agencies, including the Model Cities Program, the Northeast Federal Credit Union, the Governor's Office, and Community Action of Greater Wilmington.

His volunteer activities reflect his commitment to active partnerships between government and the private sector, not only to meet basic needs, but also to improve the environment, preserve heritage, enrich culture, and provide economic opportunity. Those organizations, of which he has been an active participant as board member, officer, or volunteer, include Goldey Beacom College, The Historical Society of Delaware, Sister Cities of Wilmington, Network Delaware Project, and the Wilmington Partnership. Mr. Baker also took part in organizing the Midtown Neighborhood Association, Upper Eastside Neighborhood Association, Quaker Hill Neighborhood Association, West Center City Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee (WCCNPAC), and the Afro-American Arts and Science Society.

Reflecting Mr. Baker's belief in the value of history and culture, he has played a key role in a number of projects to preserve and promote the City's heritage. They include the restoration of the historic Mt. Olive and Mt. Zion Cemeteries, establishing the Heritage Gallery and Pauline Young Historical Collection at Howard High School, and the Historical Society of Delaware's "Opening the Door To Freedom" exhibition, which chronicled the sacrifices and contributions of Delaware's African-American Community. In 1989, he was responsible for creating the Civil Rights Commemorative Commission to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The permanent legacy of that Commission includes an extensive video and music collection at the Wilmington Institute Free Library.

Under his leadership, City memorials to Americans killed during World War II and the Korean War were erected. Also through Mr. Baker’s efforts, the City/County Government building was named in honor of Delaware's nationally renowned civil rights attorney, the late Louis L. Redding, with an inspiring statue of Mr. Redding commissioned to adorn the building. Mr. Baker’s initiatives also include the naming of the Peter Spencer Plaza and The Freedom Plaza, site of the City’s Holocaust Memorial and the commemorative naming of the Helen Chambers Park, Clifford Brown Walk, John Babiarz Park, Harriet Tubman/Thomas Garrett Riverfront Park, and the Brown-Burton-Winchester Park. Mayor Baker is also the author of “The Genuine American Music,” a two-volume encyclopedia of black musicians, which tells the story of black music in America through text, rare photos, and original illustrations.