Born in Fort Covington, New York, Thomas was an alumnus of Middlebury College, and the Union Theological Seminary.

[1] He served as a pastor at the Arlington Avenue Presbyterian Church in East Orange, New Jersey from 1893 to 1908.

In addition, he guided a rapid expansion of Middlebury's main campus from four buildings to nine.

During his tenure, enrollment grew steadily, four year courses in Economics and Business Administration were added to the curriculum, the New Jersey College of Pharmacy was incorporated into the University, and the Bureau of Biochemical and Bacteriology Research was established, in addition to the construction of several new buildings.

Thomas resigned in 1930 due to indecisiveness between the state of New Jersey and university officials over the half-private, half-public role of Rutgers.