Thomas D. Baird (July 14, 1819 – June 9, 1873) was an educator born in

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in ...

, United States. Baird was the first professor of mathematics of Westminster College, and the fifth principal of

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C. is the thir ...

. He died 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 ...

Biography

Thomas D. Baird, the second son of the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, Reverend Thomas D. Baird, was born on July 14, 1819, in

. Baird was educated at Jefferson College in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, where he received both his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

. In 1839, he began his career as an educator by teaching

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

. During this time, he also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1844, although he was never a practicing lawyer. In 1847, Baird became a professor of mathematics at Marshall College in

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

. He held this position for three years before deciding to open a private school in Baltimore, which was devoted to the study of

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and mathematics. Baird presided over the school for four years before he was elected professor of mathematics at Westminster College in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He remained in this position for three years before returning to Baltimore to serve as the fifth principal and professor of moral and mental

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

at the Central High School of Baltimore—later renamed

, the third oldest public high school in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Baird held this position until his death on June 9, 1873. Baird received a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

from Concordia College, Missouri and an

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Central High School of Baltimore

Under Baird's leadership, the school underwent a series of improvements aimed at strengthening the caliber of students admitted to the school and the quality of education. Baird increased the rigor of entrance examinations to the school as well as standards required for promotion to the next grade. This was evidenced in his first year as principal, when only about a third of the first year class was promoted to the second year. Baird also brought about changes in discipline at the school. He eliminated corporal punishment, and instead instituted a system in which a student's behavior was factored into his standing at the school. In 1866, under the recommendation of Baird, a process was begun to elevate the high school to the status of a college. The school was renamed the Baltimore City College and a five-year course of study was created, in addition to the standard four-year course. Despite the change, the school was never elevated, and in 1869, Baird terminated the five-year course.Steiner (1894), 218.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Thomas D. Baltimore City College faculty Washington & Jefferson College alumni Centre College alumni Westminster College (Missouri) faculty People from Newark, Ohio 1819 births 1873 deaths