Thomas F. Hunt

profile photo of Thomas Hunt

In Memoriam
Dean of the College of Agriculture
1862-1927

THOMAS FORSYTH HUNT 

Birth: 1862, Ridott, Illinois
Death: 1927, Davis, California

Education

  • B.A., Agriculture, University of Illinois, 1884
  • M.A., Agriculture, University of Illinois, 1892
  • Ph.D., Agriculture, University of Illinois, 1903

Employment

  • Assistant to the State Entomologist of Illinois, 1885–1886
  • Assistant Professor of Agriculture, University of Illinois, 1886–1891
  • Professor of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State College, 1891–1892
  • Dean and Professor of Agriculture and Domestic Science, Ohio State University, 1892–1903
  • Professor of Agronomy, Cornell University, 1903–1907
  • Dean, School of Agriculture and Director, Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, 1907–1912
  • Dean of the College of Agriculture, Director of the Experiment Station, and Professor of Agriculture, University of California, Berkeley (now UC Davis), 1912–1923

Research Contributions and Impact

Hunt was a central figure in shaping early agricultural education and research in the United States. He championed a “new agriculture”, one that emphasized not just productivity and profit, but also social advancement, education, and leadership for rural communities. His work reflected a belief that the prosperity and stability of a nation depended on those who worked the land.

Hunt’s research and leadership also extended internationally. His papers include a comparative study of agriculture in the Caribbean and a photographic record of farming practices across Jamaica, Hawaii, Haiti, Cuba, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica (1924–1925).

Legacy

Hunt played a pivotal role in expanding and modernizing agricultural instruction and research at the University of California. He was instrumental in founding the Division of Agricultural Engineering at Davis and shaping the land-grant university’s mission to integrate science with practical farming. In recognition of his contributions, Hunt Hall, completed in 1949, was named in his honor.

References

For additional tributes, interviews, and biographies, see the following resources: