Laird

Laird, Melvin Robert, 1922-, American politician, U.S. secretary of defense (1969-73), b. Omaha, Nebr. After serving (1942-46) in the navy during World War II, he entered politics as a Republican and was (1946-52) a state senator in Wisconsin. As a member (1953-69) of the U.S. House of Representatives, he served on the appropriations committee where he actively supported a large military budget and a strong nuclear defense posture as well as increased funds for health and education. Laird became secretary of defense in President Nixon's cabinet and presided over the shift from a conscripted to an all-volunteer army. He supported (1970) the invasion of Cambodia and approved the strategy of bombing North Vietnam to force a peace settlement. After his resignation as secretary, he served (1973) briefly as counselor to the president for domestic affairs. Laird is the author of A House Divided (1962) and editor of Republican Papers (1968).

(born July 29, 1820, Lisbon, Ohio, U.S.—died June 17, 1871, Lebanon, Ohio) U.S. politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1857–63), where he became a leader of the antiwar Copperheads and the secret Knights of the Golden Circle (later Sons of Liberty). As a result of his vociferous criticism of Pres. Abraham Lincoln's administration and its pursuit of the American Civil War, he was arrested and found guilty of treasonable sentiments (1863) and was sentenced to exile in the South. He soon made his way to Canada and later illegally to Ohio. While in Canada he was nominated for governor by the Ohio Peace Democrats, but he was easily defeated. He later criticized the Reconstruction policy of the Republicans as both unconstitutional and tyrannical.

Learn more about Vallandigham, Clement L(aird) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born June 26, 1854, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia—died June 10, 1937, Ottawa, Ont., Can.) Prime minister of Canada (1911–20). He practiced law in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 1874 and later founded one of the largest law firms in the Maritime Provinces. In 1896 he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons; he became leader of the Conservative Party in 1901. As prime minister, he implemented conscription in World War I and represented Canada in Britain's imperial war cabinet. He insisted on separate Canadian membership in the League of Nations, which helped transform Canada from a colony to an independent country.

Learn more about Borden, Sir Robert (Laird) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 29, 1820, Lisbon, Ohio, U.S.—died June 17, 1871, Lebanon, Ohio) U.S. politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1857–63), where he became a leader of the antiwar Copperheads and the secret Knights of the Golden Circle (later Sons of Liberty). As a result of his vociferous criticism of Pres. Abraham Lincoln's administration and its pursuit of the American Civil War, he was arrested and found guilty of treasonable sentiments (1863) and was sentenced to exile in the South. He soon made his way to Canada and later illegally to Ohio. While in Canada he was nominated for governor by the Ohio Peace Democrats, but he was easily defeated. He later criticized the Reconstruction policy of the Republicans as both unconstitutional and tyrannical.

Learn more about Vallandigham, Clement L(aird) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born June 26, 1854, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia—died June 10, 1937, Ottawa, Ont., Can.) Prime minister of Canada (1911–20). He practiced law in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 1874 and later founded one of the largest law firms in the Maritime Provinces. In 1896 he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons; he became leader of the Conservative Party in 1901. As prime minister, he implemented conscription in World War I and represented Canada in Britain's imperial war cabinet. He insisted on separate Canadian membership in the League of Nations, which helped transform Canada from a colony to an independent country.

Learn more about Borden, Sir Robert (Laird) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Laird is a township in the Algoma District in Northern Ontario, Canada. Highway 17 passes through. Bar River is a hamlet on the northern boundary of the township, just south of the village of Echo Bay. Laird is a farming community and bedroom community east of Sault Ste. Marie. Tarbutt Township is a neighbour of Laird and is separated by a low-grade dirt road called "Townline Rd." which spurs into a road to Pine Island.

The township had a population of 1,078 in the Canada 2006 Census.

External links

• Official Laird Raceway website