Theodore Baird (February 28, 1901 – December 29, 1996) was an American academic and Samuel Williston Professor of English, emeritus, at Amherst College.

From 1927 to 1969 he taught students a wide range of literature, and was the creator of the English 1-2, the college's highly regarded freshman composition course.

[4][5] Before joining the Amherst faculty as an instructor, Baird taught briefly at Western Reserve University, Union College and Harvard.

Bartholomae wrote his graduate dissertation in literature under the direction of Richard Poirier and went on to work with William Coles at the University of Pittsburgh.

[6]: 223–224 Baird and his wife were interested in the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and their Amherst "Usonian house", designed in 1939, was built in 1940 at a cost of $8000.