James Bryson Baird (March 6, 1859 – November 6, 1939) was a politician in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, Canada. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

from 1907 to 1922, and was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the Assembly from 1916 to 1922. Baird was a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. Baird was born in Appleton,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

(now

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), and educated at Appleton Public School. He later moved to Manitoba, and worked as a merchant and cattle dealer. He was elected as the first

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Pilot Mound, Manitoba Pilot Mound is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district that also once held town status in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located within the Municipality of Louise, approximately 60 km west of the City of ...

, and served three successive terms without opposition. He was also a postmaster and president of the local Board of Trade, and served eight years as chairman of the public school board. He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held on April 27, 1905, to replace former Liberal leader

Thomas Greenway Thomas Greenway (March 25, 1838 – October 30, 1908) was a Canadian politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, his ministry formally ended Manitoba's non-partisan government, al ...

in the

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constituency. He lost to

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Daniel A. McIntyre by 146 votes. Baird ran again in the 1907 provincial election, and defeated McIntyre by 433 votes.

Rodmond Roblin Sir Rodmond Palen Roblin (February 15, 1853 – February 16, 1937) was a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. Early life and career Roblin was born in Sophiasburgh, in Prince Edward County, Canada West (later Ontario). The Robli ...

's Conservatives were returned with a majority government in this election, and Baird sat as an opposition member. He was re-elected by fairly comfortable margins in the elections of

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

and

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

. In 1915, the Roblin government was forced to resign amid a corruption scandal. Another election was called, which the Liberals won with a landslide majority. Baird was selected as Speaker of the Legislature on January 6, 1916. The Liberals were reduced to a minority government in the 1920 provincial election, and Baird was re-elected over his

Farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

opponent by a reduced majority. He received a second term as Speaker on February 10, 1921. The Liberal government was defeated in the legislature in early 1922. Baird lost his seat to Charles Cannon of the

United Farmers of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM), an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I. See also * List of political parties in Canada ...

in the 1922 provincial election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, James 1859 births 1939 deaths Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba People from Pilot Mound, Manitoba Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs Mayors of places in Manitoba