Coleman Emerson Baird was born on 28 July 1914 in Lebanon, Tennessee to William Erwin and Allie (Coleman) Baird. He was educated at Lebanon High School and at the University of Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture on 3 June 1935. He enlisted in the U. S. Army on 25 November 1940 and flew Piper Cub L-4 and L-5 aircrafts in the 423rd Field Artillery group of the 5th Army, II Corps, during World War II. He was stationed primarily in Northern Italy near the Apennine Mountains. He was discharged from active duty in August of 1945 but remained in the Army Reserve until 1970, when he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

After his discharge, Baird returned to Tennessee. He and his wife, Catherine (Erwin) Baird, and their children moved to Springfield, Tennessee in 1947. Here, Baird worked as an Assistant County Agent with the Robertson County Extension Service and later with the farm service department of Commerce Union Bank (now Bank of America). He was also a devoted member of the United Methodist Church, serving on its Board of Stewards and teaching an adult Sunday School Class for 36 years. Baird died on 12 February 2006 in Auburn, Alabama and was buried in Robertson County Memorial Gardens.