Since his birth in Aurora in 1939, James Compton has become one of the nation's most prominent civic leaders. A graduate of East Aurora High School's class of 1956, James Compton attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he worked for the legendary educator, Benjamin E. Mays, then president of Morehouse College.

Mays inspired young Compton's interest in civil rights and equality and played a major role in Compton's decision to major in Political Science. While at Morehouse, Compton broadened his horizons by spending a summer in Soviet bloc countries. While still a student at Morehouse, Compton earned the prestigious Merrill Fellowship and studied at the University of Grenoble in France. There, he received a diploma in French literature before graduating at Morehouse College with a Bachelor's degree in Plitical Science.

Immediately after college, Compton worked in the Chicago Public School system for a number of years before beginning his long career with the prestigious Chicago Urban league, an affiliate of the nation's largest civil right's organization, the National Urban League. In 1965, Compton started as a counselor for the Urban League's job training program. A few years later, he moved to upstate New York to run the Urban League's office in Binghamton before returning to Chicago in 1972 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Urban League.

Under his guidance, the Chicago Urban League has grown to become one of the most influential forces in Chicago's political, education, labor, and housing arenas. He restructured the Urban League to better provide direct care, advocacy and research in the areas of community empowerment, education, employment, and social services.

Compton has been especially active regarding the issues of education, employment, and voter registration, and with his leadership, the Chicago Urban League became the first non-governmental agency authorized by the Chicago Board of Commisioners to register voters. Additionally, Compton is recognized as one of Chicago's leading experts in the area of community empowerment. He is consistently called upon to speak on everything from racial profiling to the demise of public housing.

He currently sits on several boards and committees including Ariel Mutual Funds, ComEd, the Field Museum of Natural History, Northwestern University, Chicago Area Boys Scouts of America, DePaul University, and the World Trade Center Chicago Association.