 Baird was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick in July 1920.He received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1941 from the University of New Brunswick, a Master of Science degree in 1943 from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in 1947 from McGill University.Baird held many university teaching positions including the University of Rochester (1941 to 1943), McGill University (1943 to 1946), Mount Allison University (1946 to 1947), and the University of New Brunswick (1947 to 1952).