Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas

Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (1858-1929), the 'founding father of modern systematic mammalogy', was one of the most important mammal collectors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He made a significant contribution to the development of the mammal collections at the Natural History Museum. Thomas described more than 2,000 mammal species and subspecies for the first time.

In 1891 Thomas married Mary Kane, the daughter of Sir Andrew Clark, and heiress to a small fortune. Together he and his wife supported mammal collectors, financing collecting expeditions across the world. He also did fieldwork himself in Western Europe and South America. His wife shared his interest in natural history, and accompanied him on collecting trips.

He was appointed to the Museum Secretary's office in 1876 and transferred to the Zoological Department in 1878. In 1896 William Henry Flower took control of the department and hired Richard Lydekker to rearrange the exhibitions. This allowed Thomas to concentrate on studying the vast mammal collection he had acquired. Although officially retired from the Museum in 1923, he continued his work without interruption.

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