Reverend Ebenezer Thompson Baird (1821–1887) was an influential Presbyterian minister, fundraiser, founder of schools, and missionary. He studied law, worked at various schools, and was an editor for a Presbyterian newspaper.
Baird was the son of notable minister
Thomas D. Baird. He had four brothers and one sister. Ebenezer Baird served as the Secretary of the Committees of Education and Publication in the Presbyterian church.
Baird helped lay the cornerstone of the
Broadway Presbyterian Church in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
on August 13, 1844. He was a teacher at a private school in Baltimore the early 1840s.
Baird helped raise money to start a seminary in
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...
. The building was used for a private school and Baird was the first principal of
Vigo Collegiate Institute. After it opened he became the school's librarian.
From 1850 to 1852, Baird was the president of
Washington College
Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...
in
Limestone, Tennessee
Limestone is an unincorporated community on the western border of Washington County and the eastern border of Greene County in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its zip code is 37681. Limestone is part of the Johnson City M ...
. While he was editor of "The St. Louis Presbyterian” from September 1852 to October 1854, Baird’s typesetter was
Samuel Clemens
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
, more commonly known as Mark Twain.
Baird married Anna Susan McDannold in St. Louis on December 6, 1860. They had two sons and five daughters.
Baird published a book of hymns in Virginia.
Late in his life he was principal of
Montgomery Female College in
Christiansburg, Virginia
Christiansburg (formerly Hans Meadows) is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,041 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County. Christiansburg, Blacksburg and the city of Radford are th ...
.
He was awarded honorary degrees.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Ebenezer Thompson
1821 births
1887 deaths
American Presbyterian ministers
19th-century American educators
19th-century American clergy