Jim Baird Bio
James Richard Baird (born June 4, 1945) is an American politician, businessman, and farmer who has served as the U.S. representative for Indiana’s 4th congressional district since 2019. A Republican, he represents a largely rural district in western Indiana and is known for his agricultural background, military service, and conservative legislative record. Before reaching Congress, Baird spent decades in agricultural research, agribusiness, and local office, building a reputation as a practical problem-solver rooted in farm-country values.
Outside of his political career, Baird is a Vietnam War veteran who lost his left arm in combat and went on to earn advanced degrees in animal science. He owns and operates several Indiana-based businesses, including Baird Family Farms, and continues to be recognized for his work in agriculture and rural economic development.
Early Life and Background
James Richard Baird was born on June 4, 1945, in Fountain County, Indiana, to William Baird (1916–1989) and Martha Ewbank Baird (1924–1998). His father was born in Scotland and later settled in Indiana, where the family built a life connected to farming and rural community values. Growing up in this environment shaped Baird’s lifelong interest in agriculture and animal husbandry, interests he would later turn into both a career and a business.
Baird graduated from Turkey Run High School in 1963, where he participated in 4-H and the Future Farmers of America. These early extracurricular activities introduced him to livestock breeding, crop management, and the leadership skills that would later define his public service. He went on to attend Purdue University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in animal science in 1967 and a Master of Science in animal science in 1969.
Following his military service in Vietnam, Baird returned to academia and completed a PhD in animal science, specializing in monogastric nutrition, at the University of Kentucky in 1975. His advanced training in nutrition and animal sciences positioned him for a career that blended scientific research with practical farm management.
Path to US Politics
Baird’s path into public service began at the local level, rooted in his standing as a respected agricultural figure in western Indiana. From 1974 to 1983, he worked as a Purdue University extension agent for Putnam County, advising farmers on livestock care, crop production, and modern agricultural techniques. He later served as an animal nutritionist at Landmark Cooperative, a feed manufacturer, and as director of sales and nutrition at Agmax, gaining broad experience across the agribusiness sector.
In 2006, Baird entered elected office for the first time by winning the Republican primary and defeating the incumbent Putnam County commissioner, Dennis O’Hair. He went on to represent Marion Township, Greencastle Township, Madison Township, and Clinton Township as commissioner for the second district until 2010. During his time as commissioner, he focused on rural infrastructure, property rights, and fiscal responsibility, issues that would later define his work in the Indiana legislature.
His successful tenure as a county commissioner cleared the way for a leap to state-level politics. In 2010, Baird won election to the Indiana House of Representatives, beginning a chapter of his career that would establish him as one of Indiana’s most recognizable conservative voices on agricultural and veterans’ affairs.
Jim Baird Career
Indiana House of Representatives (2010–2018)
Baird represented Indiana House District 44, which includes Putnam County and portions of Clay, Morgan, Owen, and Parke counties, from 2010 until 2018. During his eight years in the state legislature, he served on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chaired the Health and Medicaid Subcommittee, as well as the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety, the Environmental Affairs Committee, and the Statutory Committee on Ethics. In 2017, the American Conservative Union gave him a lifetime legislative evaluation of 82 percent, reflecting his consistently conservative voting record.
His work in the Indiana House focused on agricultural policy, rural healthcare access, and support for veterans. He built a reputation as a defender of family farms and a careful steward of taxpayer dollars, earning strong support from rural voters across his district.
U.S. House of Representatives – 4th Congressional District (2019–Present)
In 2018, Baird ran for Indiana’s 4th congressional district after the seat was vacated by Todd Rokita. He won the Republican primary on May 8, 2018, and went on to win the November 6 general election, beginning his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives. When he was sworn in, he was the second-oldest member of the 116th Congress freshman class, following Democrat Donna Shalala.
Baird was reelected in 2020 with 66.6 percent of the vote, in 2022 with 68.2 percent of the vote, and again in 2024 with 64.8 percent of the vote. In the 118th Congress, he holds committee assignments that allow him to continue his work on agricultural and veterans’ policy. He has also been a vocal supporter of Israel, voting to provide support following the 2023 Hamas attack.
Baird is one of only three deployed Vietnam War veterans currently serving in the U.S. House, alongside Jack Bergman and Mike Thompson, a distinction that highlights his unique perspective on military and foreign policy issues. According to LegiStorm’s Worst Bosses Index, he was ranked as the Republican member of Congress with the highest staff turnover in 2023, second overall in the House.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Baird’s life occurred during the Vietnam War, when he lost his left arm during a convoy ambush on March 12, 1971, while serving with the 523rd Transportation Company during Operation Lam Son 719. Despite this life-altering injury, he returned home, completed his education, and built a career spanning business, agriculture, and public service. In 2012, the 523rd Transportation Company was inducted into the Transportation Corps Hall of Fame for its heroism during that operation, an honor shared with the unit in which Baird served.
Jim Baird Military Service
Baird served in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Purdue University from 1963 to 1965 and later attended Officer Candidate School Class 2-70 at Fort Benning, as well as Jungle Warfare School in Panama, from 1969 to 1970. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry and arrived in Vietnam in 1970, where, because of a surplus of infantry officers, he was assigned to the 523rd Transportation Company (Light Truck) at Cha Rang Valley. The unit delivered cargo along QL19, considered the most heavily ambushed road in Vietnam.
During the Laotian Incursion, known as Operation Lam Son 719, from February through April 1971, the 523rd Transportation Company was deployed north to the abandoned Marine Corps base Camp Vandergrift. The North Vietnamese Army launched 23 convoy ambushes during the two-and-a-half-month operation in an effort to shut down the supply route. Baird fought in two of the operation’s deadliest ambushes and lost his left arm on March 12, 1971. He earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for his service. Fellow soldiers affectionately nicknamed him “pig farmer” because of his passion for breeding pigs.
Jim Baird Business and Agricultural Work
Baird is the owner of Baird Family Farms, Triple Tree Enterprises, Inc., a gas station operation in Crawfordsville, and Indiana Home Care Plus of Greencastle, a home health agency. In addition to running these businesses, he has worked as an animal nutritionist at Landmark Cooperative and as director of sales and nutrition at Agmax, giving him decades of hands-on experience in the agricultural economy of Indiana.
Jim Baird Family
Family Background and Personal Life
James Richard Baird was born to William Baird (1916–1989), who was born in Scotland, and Martha Ewbank Baird (1924–1998). The family raised him in rural Indiana, where his interest in farming and animal science first took root. He has carried these roots into his adult life, continuing to live and work on family-owned agricultural land in western Indiana.
Spouse and Children
Baird is married to Danise Baird (née Swain), a registered nurse who graduated from Purdue University in 1968. The couple has three children: daughter Vanessa Lee Norsworthy (born 1968) and sons Stacey Gilbert (born 1972) and Jason Beau (born 1981). Jason Beau was elected chair of the Putnam County Republican Party in March 2017 and later won election to the Indiana House of Representatives, replacing his father. Baird resides outside of Greencastle, Indiana, in Clinton Township, and has attended Gobin United Methodist Church in Greencastle since 1975.
On January 5, 2026, Baird and his wife were injured in a car accident while traveling from Indiana to Washington, D.C., and were hospitalized. His wife later died of complications from the accident on March 1, 2026.