Baird, Edward Pyson

Edward Payson Baird was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 26, 1860, and died on October 23, 1929, at the age of 69. In 1879 he went to work for the Seth Thomas Clock Company until 1887, when he moved to Montreal, Canada. Here he formed the Baird Mfg. Co., which was located at 112 Queen Street. He also opened a sales office at 13 Park Row in New York City. Baird manufactured wooden cases in Montreal that housed clock movements bought from Seth Thomas. The cases are distinctive. The fronts were fitted with very recognizable doors that prominently displayed the advertising for various products his client’s companies sold. Many of these doors were made from paper mache. His business model of selling clocks to companies so that they could advertise their wares was successful, and the business grew. In July 1890, he moved the company to Plattsburgh, New York, and set up shop at 18 Bridge Street along the Saranac River. Baird had numerous clients in the States and Great Britain, as the surviving examples show. He had a good run until 1896 when a local sheriff took possession of the company’s assets which were soon sold at a public auction. By 1897, Baird established himself in Chicago. Here he began to focus on the telephone industry, applying for as many as twelve patents and then eleven additional patents for locks and keys.

For a more in-depth history of Edward Payson Baird, please read Baird Advertising Clocks, written by Jerry Maltz in 1998.