Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher was an American agricultural chemist, educator, and college administrator, born in 1872 and raised first in Chatham Center, Ohio, and later in Nebraska. He studied at the University of Nebraska and built his career around the science of farming, especially plant chemistry and soils.

He taught and led agricultural work at Washington State College, then served at the University of Minnesota before becoming director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. His writing reflects that hands-on scientific background, with books such as The Chemistry of Plant Life helping explain how plants grow and how chemistry shapes agriculture.

Later in his career, he became the eleventh and final president of Massachusetts Agricultural College, serving during the institution's transition to Massachusetts State College. He died in 1933, remembered as a scientist and teacher who helped connect laboratory research with everyday farming.