Thomas Morley papers

Thomas Morley was born on October 26, 1917. (1) He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1940, 1941, and 1949, respectively. Following his graduation in 1949, he became an instructor at the University of Minnesota, where he taught classes in the Department of Botany (now the Department of Plant Biology). (2) He became an assistant professor in 1952, an associate professor in 1958, and a full professor in 1962. (1) Also in 1962, he began working as the curator of the Herbarium, for a year. During his time as a professor, Morley performed extensive research on the flora of Minnesota, which allowed him to write many seminal plant guides for the state. He retired as a professor emeritus in 1987. (1)

Outside of academics, Morley was a charter member of the Minnesota Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. (1) During his time with the chapter, he dedicated his time to the conservation of rare and native plants, while also advocating against the spread of invasive species. He was also a member of the Minnesota Native Plant Society, the American Society of Plant Taxonomy, the Botanical Society of America, and the International Society of Plant Taxonomy. Thomas Morley passed away February 2, 2002. (1)

References:

(1) Biographical File, Morley, Thomas, Information files collection, University Archives
(2) History of the Conservatory, College of Biological Sciences