Thomas McAdory Owen (November 19, 1866 – March 25, 1920) was an American lawyer, archivist, historian, and founder of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, serving as its first director.

In his efforts to document Alabama's history, he soon discovered that no one library possessed the sources he needed to write a thorough and in-depth historical account.

His almost full-time involvement of history took up a great amount of his time, subsequently compromising his legal practice, which in turn led to financial troubles for his family.

[4] Needing to remedy his financial situation, Owen appealed to his father-in-law, John H. Bankhead, a Senator from Alabama, hoping the Senator could help him procure a government position in Washington, D.C. Owen arrived in the capital on September 1, 1894, and devoted all his spare time conducting research in the Library of Congress and the many other historical resources available in Washington.

He continued his efforts in building his personal collection of historical materials, amassing information that he used in bibliographies on Alabama and Mississippi history.

After assuming the position of secretary of the society, Owen wrote and submitted two bills to the state legislature, calling for the creation of a commission to research and preserve Alabama's historical past.

In one instance he located a Confederate flag in Madison, Wisconsin, belonging to the Perote Guards of Alabama, that was captured by Union soldiers in April 1862.

Its headquarters were within the State capitol building, and under the control of a board of nine trustees, with powers and duties that were supervisory, where they would conduct annual meetings to discuss business and review the agency's involvements during the preceding year.

In the Preface of volume one, Marie paid tribute and thanks to all who had helped in completion and publication of Thomas Owen's work.