Dates of service: April 7, 1959 - April 9, 1963
                              April 11, 1967- April 13, 1971
Born: January 23, 1920
Died: March 4, 2015

James Henry Norick  first Oklahoma City Mayor born in Oklahoma City and the first City Mayor born in the 20th century.   He attended public schools in Oklahoma City and began working for the family business, Norick Bros. Inc., in 1935. 
Norick served on the City Council from 1951 to 1955 and was elected to his first term as Mayor during a period of continued City growth. Throughout his tenure on the City Council and his first term, Oklahoma City embarked a major annexation campaign that increased the City’s land area several times over. From his first term as Mayor, City Council ahead entered into a phase of conflicting interests which resulted in frustration for both City government and citizens.
This increase in size created serious infrastructure and water-supply concerns for Mayor Norick and other City leaders.   Flooding from Deep Fork Creek had been a problem for some time, and a project to control this flooding began during Norick’s first term. Revenue bonds totaling $9.2 million were sold to finance construction of Lake Stanley Draper and 100-mile pipeline to move water to Lake Stanley Draper from Lake Atoka. Once completed, these projects ensured a reliable water supply for the fast growing City. 
By 1961, momentum was building for the redevelopment of the downtown area, and the Council created the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority on November 2, 1961. 
Norick’s 1963 bid for re-election was unsuccessful but he won election to a second term in 1967. Mayor Norick’s second term saw continued economic growth for the City, and the metropolitan-area population reached 625,700. Demolition of downtown buildings to make way for urban redevelopment began in 1968. 
During and after his terms in office, Norick was active in numerous community organizations.  He was also a major supporter of sporting events in the City and promoted the Central Hockey League’s first franchise in Oklahoma City. When his second term as Mayor ended in 1971, the City Council passed a resolution recognizing his service to the City and renaming the sports arena at the Fairgrounds the Jim Norick State Fairgrounds Arena.