Oldfield Thomas

Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (usually known as Oldfield Thomas) FRS (February 21, 1858 – June 16, 1929) was a British zoologist.

Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum in their mammals department. He described about 2,000 new species and sub-species for the first time. He was given a job in the Museum Secretary's office in 1876. In 1878 he moved to the Zoological Department. In 1891 Thomas married a woman who was an heiress to a large amount of money. Having this money allowed him to hire mammal collectors and to give their specimens to the museum. In 1896 when William Henry Flower took control of the Department he hired Richard Lydekker to rearrange the exhibitions.The Natural History Museum at South Kensington, William T. Stearn  This gave Thomas the time to concentrate on these new specimens.Oldfield Thomas, Catalogue of the Marsupialia and Monotremata in the Collection of the British Museum (Natural History) Dept of Zoology (1888), Taylor and Francis, London Catalogue of the Marsupialia... full text retrieved 3/21/2007Oldfield Thomas F. R. S., The History of the Collections Contained in the Natural History Departments of the British Museum Vol. II, Separate Historical accounts of the Historical Collections included in the Department of Zoology, I. Mammals,(1906) William Clowes and Sons Ltd. London. retrieved 3/21/2007 ''The History of the Collections..." full text  He committed suicide in 1929 when he was 71 years old. This was not long after the death of his wife.

References

Category:1858 births
Category:1929 deaths
Category:British biologists
Category:British zoologists
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society
Category:Suicides