Thomas Forsyth Hunt

Born in Ridott, Illinois, in 1862, Thomas Forsyth Hunt studied agriculture at the University of Illinois, earning degrees there before beginning his career as an assistant to the state entomologist. He went on to teach agriculture at Illinois, then held senior academic posts at Ohio State and Cornell.

Hunt is best remembered for his work in agricultural education and administration. He later joined the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as professor of agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture from 1912 to 1923. Sources from UC Davis and archival collections describe him as an important early leader in the development of the college that would eventually be associated with the Davis campus.

He also wrote widely for farmers, students, and settlers, with books including The Young Farmer and The Forage and Fiber Crops in America, along with practical agricultural bulletins issued in California. He died in 1927 while returning from Hawaii.