Matthew Baird

For the Australian politician, see Matthew Baird (politician).

Matthew Baird
Born	1817 Derry, Ireland
Died	1877

Matthew Baird (1817–1877) was one of the early partners in the Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Baird was born in Derry, Ireland, in 1817. His parents brought him to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1821.

Baird went to work for the nascent railroad industry in the 1830s. He started with an apprenticeship at the New Castle Manufacturing Company in Delaware between 1834 and 1836. He then went on to become the superintendent of the Newcastle and Frenchtown Railway (N&F) shops. He left the N&F to become foreman of the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1838. In this position, he was co-author on a patent for a spark arrestor in 1842 that has since become known as the "French and Baird stack".

In 1854 Baird invested in a share of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, becoming a partner. At this time, he developed (but did not patent) a new fire arch to improve steam locomotive combustion. The improved fire arch was subsequently patented by George S. Griggs on December 15, 1857 (U.S. Patent 18,883). Upon Baldwin's death in 1866, Baird became the sole proprietor of the company, a position he held until he retired in 1873.

The town of Baird, Texas, is named after Matthew Baird. The Matthew Baird Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

References

• Baird, Texas. Retrieved April 20, 2005 – connection to Baird, Texas.
• MacDougal, D., ed. (1917), Scots and Scots Descendant in America, chapter 18: Scots in Science and Invention. Retrieved April 20, 2005 – birthplace, emigration year, retirement year.
• Matthias W. Baldwin, 1795-1866. Retrieved April 20, 2005 – connection to Baldwin.
• Thomson, Ross (October 2004), From the Old to the New: The Social Basis of Innovation in the Antebellum U.S. (PDF). Retrieved April 20, 2005 – patent details
• – birth and death years
• – patent and apprenticeship details