Helen Delich Bentley

Rich in history, and firmly rooted in the culture of the mid-Atlantic and beyond, the Port of Baltimore has for more than three centuries been a bustling commercial hub for import and export activities. The car you drive, the clothes in your closets, the food in your pantry, the electronics in your family room – all may have come through the Port’s unique collection of private and public terminals. And that’s just for starters.

Since 1706, when it was first designated as a port of entry during Maryland’s Colonial era, the Port of Baltimore has been weaving itself into the fabric of its home state. Baltimore’s placement inland and near rail – and later highway – transport provided easy access to points west, and up and down the eastern seaboard. Its growth as a deep-water port fostered the shipyards and manufacturing plants that made the city a viable economic center, while its reputation as an ingress point for immigrants seeking a new, better life in America provided a ready workforce and helped forge the ethnic neighborhoods for which Charm City is recognized. Tobacco and steel, frigates and warships, oysters and crops – these exports and specialties set the stage for immense growth and diversity that has yielded a viable economic engine that now deals with farm equipment and automobiles, paper and coal, and wares packed and transported in shipping containers around the globe.

Through wars, economic turmoil and an ever-changing landscape, the Port of Baltimore has survived – and thrived. Its leadership is constantly seeking newer and better ways of doing business, cleaner and greener technologies to preserve its fragile environment, and mutually beneficial partnerships in the private and public sectors to ensure its future.

No one has been a prouder, more loyal advocate of the Port of Baltimore than former U.S. Rep. Helen Delich Bentley, who came to Baltimore in xxxx to work for The Sun, where she eventually took on the maritime beat. In 1950, she turned to the still developing medium of television to host a weekly program, “The Port That Built A City,” focusing on maritime and transportation issues. By taking the machinations of the Port of Baltimore into the homes of Baltimore-area residents on WMAR-TV, Bentley fostered a better understanding of what happened at the Port. Later, in her roles as the first female head of the U.S. Maritime Commission and as a congresswoman representing Maryland, she championed the need for creative ways to protect American manufacturing jobs while expanding international trade. A longtime consultant to the Maryland Port Administration, Bentley was surprised when the Port of Baltimore was renamed The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore during a tricentennial celebration in 2006, in recognition of her many contributions.