Algernon Thomas

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Algernon Phillips Withiel Thomas ( MA , KCMG ) (born June 3, 1857 in Birkenhead , Cheshire , England , † December 28, 1937 in Auckland , New Zealand ) was the first professor of geology and biology at the University of Auckland .

Early years

Algernon Phillips Thomas was born on June 3, 1857, the fifth of eight children to Edith Phillips and her husband John Thomas in Birkenhead, Cheshire . His father was an accountant. After attending the Manchester Grammar School , Algernon switched to Balliol College in Oxford as a scholarship holder . There he graduated in 1878 with a Bachelor of Arts in science and mathematics. With the Burdett-Coutts Scholarship from the University of Oxford , which he won in 1879, he extended his studies and graduated in 1881 with a Master of Arts .

After his studies he got a job as a demonstrator in the university museum under the biologist George Rolleston . Following a recommendation from Rolleston , Thomas researched the life cycle of the great liver fluke on behalf of the Royal Agricultural Society . The results of his research, which he shared with Rudolf Leuckart from Leipzig in 1822 , made it possible to push back the diseases caused by the liver fluke, fasciolosis , which at the time caused great losses in British sheep farming.

New Zealand

Thomas , missing development opportunities in the UK , turned his attention to the colonies. With the help and support of Rolleston , and the recommendations of Thomas Henry Huxley and the geologist Archibald Geikie in November 1882, Thomas got a job as professor at the Auckland University College, which was just being established . He arrived in New Zealand on May 1, 1883 and was probably the youngest professor in the country at the age of 26. The college started teaching with four professors, but since the math colleague tragically drowned on his arrival in New Zealand, Thomas was teaching math in addition to geology, botany, and zoology for a transition period.

In 1885 his professorship was renamed. From that time until his retirement, Thomas held the professorship for biology and geology. With an annual salary of £ 700 (NZ) he was in a socially respected position. He became a member and sponsor of the Northern Club , the Auckland Society of Arts , the Auckland Institute and the Auckland Museum . He had his own bank in his church.

In 1886, after the eruption of Mount Tarawera , Thomas was commissioned by the government to carry out a scientific study of the natural event and to prepare a report.

On November 19, 1887, Thomas married his wife Emily Sarah Nolan Russell , daughter of the lawyer and businessman John Benjamin Russell from Auckland . The marriage resulted in three sons and a daughter.

Over the years, Thomas has become a nationally recognized expert in science and technology, as well as an advocate of practical education. He worked with James Hector , Director of the New Zealand Geological Survey and the Colonial Museum , and was often contacted for advice or recommendations on geological, biological and bacteriological issues. He researched ancient spore plants such as phylloglossum and tmesipteris and took part in Thomas Jeffery Parker's expedition from the University of Otago to research the tuatara , a New Zealand lizard species that is said to have lived on earth for 200 million years.

Thomas retired in 1913. He devoted himself more to his garden and received recognition for the earliest and best daffodils in the country. He has continued to work for a variety of educational institutions and has served on the Senate of the University of New Zealand and Auckland University College . In 1916 he became head of the board of the Auckland Grammar School , of which he had been a member since 1899.

In November 1919, Thomas was honored to be admitted to the Royal Society of New Zealand as a Fellow . In 1937 Thomas was honored with the Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG), but died two weeks after receiving the order on December 28 in Auckland .

Commitment to the environment

In 1894, Thomas and a delegation of citizens campaigned for the establishment of a 3,500 acre forest reserve in the Waitakere Ranges . The then Auckland Regional Council complied with the citizens' request a year later. Thomas himself acquired some hill country in Piha , which descendants of his family made available to the Auckland Regional Council in 1941 for the creation and expansion of the Auckland Centennial Memorial Park .

Named after him

  • Sir Algernon Thomas Green - a 17,000 hectare park area named after him in his honor on February 3, 2008 in Piha .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Professor Algernon Phillips Withiel Thomas . In: Cyclopedia Company Ltd (Ed.): The Cyclopedia of New Zealand . Auckland Provincial District - Volume II . Christchurch 1902 ( online [accessed August 9, 2012]).
  2. ^ Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand . National Library of New Zealand , accessed August 9, 2012 .
  3. ↑ Overview and how to use the piha area design guidelines . (PDF 1.7 MB) Auckland Council , accessed August 9, 2012 .
personal data
SURNAME Thomas, Algernon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thomas, Algernon Phillips Withiel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British-New Zealand biologist and geologist
DATE OF BIRTH June 3, 1857
PLACE OF BIRTH Birkenhead , Cheshire
DATE OF DEATH December 28, 1937
Place of death Auckland , New Zealand