Malcolm Elmore Beard (February 21, 1919 – January 2, 2019) was an American politician from the state of Florida.

He moved to Florida with his family in 1924, served in the United States Navy during World War II, and attended the University of Tampa.

Beard worked for the Tampa Police Department from the 1940s until he was elected sheriff of Hillsborough County in 1964, ousting incumbent sheriff Ed Blackburn in what the Tampa Bay Times would later describe as "a tight, bitterly contested race — the last time Hillsborough County saw a truly competitive race for the office.

[5][6] Beard served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1978 to 1980.

[7] In 1979, he was elected to the State Senate for the 22nd district, and he served until 1996.