James Adams Van Dyke (December 1813 – May 7, 1855) was a lawyer, fireman and the 21st mayor of Detroit, Michigan.

James Adams Van Dyke was born in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in December, 1813, the son of William and Nancy Duncan Van Dyke.

He began a practice with future Michigan Supreme Court justice Charles W. Whipple in 1835, later partnering with, in turn, E. B. Harrington and H. H. Emmons, before leaving private practice in 1852 to become the attorney for the Michigan Central Railroad.

[1] In 1837, he married Elizabeth Desnoyers; the couple had eleven children.

[1] Politically, Van Dyke was a Whig, and he was described as a brilliant and eloquent orator.