Charles Thomas Beaird (July 17, 1922 - April 18, 2006) was an industrialist, newspaper publisher, philanthropist, and civic leader from Shreveport, Louisiana. A self-identified "liberal Republican", Beaird was an early champion of civil rights legislation. Born to James Benjamin Beaird and the former Mattie Connell Fort, his mother died six weeks after his birth, and his father succumbed when he was sixteen. According to his obituary, Beaird had to grow up quickly but developed a fierce intellectual independence.