April 25, 2011

William Donald Schaefer, the four-term mayor of Baltimore and two-term governor of Maryland, died on April 18 at the age of 89. Schaefer, who was mayor of Baltimore from 1971-1987, transformed "Charm City" into a tourist destination, including the Inner Harbor urban market, the National Aquarium, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

"I join all Marylanders in mourning the loss of one of our own – Maryland's indomitable statesman, William Donald Schaefer," current Governor and former Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley said in a statement. "Schaefer loved his city and his state with great exuberance because there was nothing more important to him than the people that he served with such loyalty."

O'Malley directed that the former governor will lie in state in the Statehouse in Annapolis and the Rotunda of Baltimore City Hall.

Statement from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

"Today, I join people from Baltimore and across Maryland to mourn the loss of William Donald Schaefer. In his fifty years as a public servant, he personally touched the lives of thousands—if not millions—of people as he worked to make Baltimore and Maryland stronger and more prosperous.

I was born in 1970, and the following year William Donald Schaefer became mayor of Baltimore. For me, and an entire generation of residents, he set the standard for what it means to be the mayor of an American city. He insisted on being an honest, no-nonsense leader who celebrated our city's strengths while implementing a vision for the future, always believing that Baltimore's best days are ahead. Under his leadership, Baltimore's Inner Harbor was transformed into the economic engine for the city and a source of great pride for citizens in every neighborhood. Mayor Schaefer was more than a visionary leader; he was Baltimore's greatest cheerleader.

Since becoming mayor, I have come to understand what Mayor Schaefer meant when he said that being mayor of Baltimore is the greatest job he ever had. As mayor, you have an opportunity to be close to the people you serve, and make a real difference for people in the day-to-day governing of the city. Every Baltimore mayor since William Donald Schaefer—and for generations to come—walks into office knowing that they have to live up to an impossible standard: do it now!

Today, I am declaring a moment of silence across the city of Baltimore tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. I urge every resident, visitor and friend of the city to take part in remembering William Donald Schaefer, one of the greatest mayors in American history."