James Henry Baum (18 December 1878 – 20 February 1936) was a Scottish trade unionist and socialist activist.
Born in Dalbeattie in Scotland, Baum's father died while working in a quarry while James was young, and he was instead brought up by his grandfather, in Mountsorrel in Leicestershire.
His grandfather had been a Chartist, and this interest in radical politics led James to join the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1900.
[1] Baum joined the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) in 1896, and soon began representing it at Leicester Trades Council.
[1][2] The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party, and Baum acted as election agent to Alfred Hill and then Frederick Pethick-Lawrence in their campaigns in Leicester West.