Papers of John Logie Baird, inventor, businessman and University of Glasgow alumnus, Glasgow, Scotland

• Lecture notebook, 1914-1915;
• Postcards, late 19th-early 20th century.

John Logie Baird (1888-1946) was an inventor and pioneer of television who studied Engineering at the University of Glasgow in the session 1914-1915.

Born in Helensburgh on 13 August 1888, John Logie Baird was the youngest child of Rev John Baird, a Church of Scotland minister, and Jessie Morrison Inglis. Baird attended school in Helensburgh, and went on to study for a Diploma in Electrical Engineering at the Royal Technical College, previously known as the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College.

In October 1914 Baird matriculated at the University of Glasgow to take classes in Electricity (Pure and Applied), Engineering and Natural Philosophy. Although entitled to sit the examinations for a BSc degree, he chose not to do this and left the University in March 1915.

He applied for military service but was declared medically unfit and joined the Clyde Valley Electrical Power Co as an assistant mains engineer in 1916, resigning two years later to concentrate on his own business interests, inventing and marketing his own products with perhaps the most successful being the Baird undersock.

Baird achieved fame for his work developing television, giving the world's first demonstration of a practical system in front of members of the Royal Institution on 26 Jan 1926. In 1928 the Baird Television Development Co made the first transatlantic television transmission, and during the 1930s and 1940s succeeded in developing colour television.

He passed away on 14 June 1946 in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.

Listed by box. Items are generally listed in their original order.

Access to certain records within this collection is restricted in accordance with data protection legislation as they contain information about potentially living individuals. Please email Archives and Special Collections for advice: library-asc@glasgow.ac.uk

Gift : Malcolm Baird : 27 Jan 2014 : ACCN 3825

See also University of Glasgow Collections

Digital file level list available in the searchroom

No known copies of this material

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Archivist.Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents

This material has been appraised in line with standard ASC procedures

Not known

No further materials are expected for this collection

GB 248 R Records of the Registry, University of Glasgow;

GB 249 OM11 Papers of John Logie Baird;

GB 898 HMC Papers of John Logie Baird;

GB 509 JLB Papers of John Logie Baird.

This material is original