Melvin Robert Laird Sr. (August 7, 1878 – March 19, 1946) was an American businessman, Presbyterian minister, and Republican politician from Wood County, Wisconsin.
He was succeeded by his son, Melvin R. Laird Jr., who went on to become United States Secretary of Defense and Domestic Policy Advisor to President Richard Nixon.
He then became a Presbyterian minister at churches in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, Lincoln, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska.
During World War I, he was inducted into the United States Army as a chaplain with the rank of first lieutenant.
After the war, he moved to Marshfield, Wisconsin, where he worked as office manager for the Connor Lumber and Land Company.