THOMAS, Calvin E. near Lapeer, Mich. 28.10.1854 — New York City 4.11.1919. U.S. Linguist and Germanist. Son of farmer Stephen Van Rensselaer Thomas (1831–1905, later lawyer and politician) and Caroline Louisa Lord (1831–1878). Graduated A.B. 1874, A.M. 1877, LL.D. 1904 – all at University of Michigan, 1877-78 further studies at Leipzig. In 1879-87 Instructor in ModernLanguages at University of Michigan where he gave the first course of Sanskrit in the university’s history, then repeated in every year. Later on he was Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at University of Michigan 1886-96 and at Columbia 1896-1919. An advocate of the simplified spelling of English. Married 1880 Mary Jennie Sutton, who died in the same year, then 1884 Mary Eleanor Allen (1854–1940), three sons and two daughters.
Publications: Wrote on German language and literature.
Sources: S.W. Cutting, Modern Philology 18, 1920, 119f.; ancestry.com; The University of Michigan. An Encyclopedic Survey. 2, 1951, 631f.; Wikipedia with photo; prabook.com.
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