Thomas Condon

Biography

Thomas Condon (1822–1907) was a pioneering geologist and educator whose work opened the rich paleontological heritage of Oregon to the wider world. As a professor at the University of Oregon and a state geologist, he collected fossils, promoted scientific exploration, and inspired countless students to study the earth’s history.

Condon also served as a minister, blending his spiritual care with a lifelong curiosity about nature, and he helped establish institutions that preserved fossils and specimens for public study. His name endures in museums and in the continuing quest to understand the region’s geological story.