Matthew Baird (15 October 1879 – 14 January 1930) was an Australian politician. Born at Mount Blowhard,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, to Scottish-born parents Robert Baird, a farmer, and Agnes McKerrow, he attended Learmonth State School and University College in Ballarat. After working on his father's farm he served in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

from 1901 to 1902 as a trooper with the Victorian Mounted Rifles. After his matriculation in 1904 he was admitted as a solicitor in 1910, partnering with his brother Robert. He married Ruby Melita Coutts in 1913. Having joined the citizen militia, he became a captain in 1913 and served in the Australian Imperial Force from 1915 to 1916 in

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and Gallipoli as a major, where he was wounded and sent home. In November 1911 he had been elected to the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

for Ballarat West, representing 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 ...

. From November 1917 to March 1918 he was Minister for Public Instruction; he later held the portfolios of Minister for Labour (1919–20) and Chief Secretary and Minister for Public Health (1919–23). Baird held the seat until its abolition in 1927, when he tried and failed to win the new seat of Ballarat. He died in 1930 at Ballarat. Baird's niece (by marriage) was Ruth Crow AM, a member of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

and political activist.

References

1879 births 1930 deaths Commonwealth Liberal Party politicians Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Ministers for Health (Victoria) Chief Secretaries of Victoria Australian Army soldiers Australian solicitors Federation University Australia alumni Australian military personnel of World War I {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub