The Viscount Stonehaven | |
|---|---|
 Baird in 1931 | |
| 8th Governor-General of Australia | |
| In office 8 October 1925 – 2 October 1930 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Forster |
| Succeeded by | Sir Isaac Isaacs |
| Minister of Transport | |
| In office 31 October 1922 – 22 January 1924 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Crawford |
| Succeeded by | Harry Gosling |
| First Commissioner of Works | |
| In office 31 October 1922 – 22 January 1924 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Crawford |
| Succeeded by | Fred Jowett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 April 1874 Chelsea, London |
| Died | 20 August 1941 (aged 67) Ury House, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Sydney Keith-Falconer, 11th Countess of Kintore (1874–1974) |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, GCMG, DSO, PC (27 April 1874 – 20 August 1941) was a British politician who served as the eighth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1925 to 1930. He had previously been a government minister under David Lloyd George, Bonar Law, and Stanley Baldwin.
Baird was born in London, and attended Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. His father was Sir Alexander Baird, a Scottish-born civil servant who spent much of his life in Egypt. Baird was a member of the Diplomatic Service before winning election to the House of Commons in 1910, representing the Conservative Party. When war broke out a few years later, he joined the Intelligence Corps and won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). Baird was added to the Lloyd George ministry in 1916, and held various junior portfolios until 1922 when he was appointed Minister of Transport and First Commissioner of Works.
In 1925, Baird was appointed Governor-General of Australia on the advice of Stanley Bruce. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Stonehaven, having previously succeeded to his father's baronetcy in 1920. Lord Stonehaven was the first governor-general to live in Canberra, moving into Yarralumla in 1927 and presiding over the first sitting at the new Parliament House. After returning to Britain, Stonehaven served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1931 to 1936. He was raised to the viscountcy in 1938, and retired to his ancestral seat in Aberdeenshire.