Thomas H. Atherton

Thomas Henry Atherton Jr. (January 16, 1884February 1, 1978), was an American architect and decorated World War I officer. He designed many public buildings in New York and Pennsylvania and a war memorial in France. A number of his works, including numerous National Guard armories in eastern Pennsylvania, are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Early years He was born in Wilkes–Barre, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Melanie Parke and Thomas Henry Atherton, an attorney. His father was born Thomas A. Henry, but changed his name to Thomas H. Atherton in 1870 by legislative enactment, to honor his maternal uncle who paid for him to attend Princeton University. Atherton is a direct descendant of William Henry, an armorer in the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War, who served in the Continental Congress and was a member of Benjamin Franklin's American Philosophical Society. On his paternal grandmother's side, he is a direct descendant of James Atherton. His childhood home was located on West River Street in Wilkes–Barre. He attended the Harry Hillman Academy in Wilkes–Barre. He attended Princeton University, where he won a prize in architecture and graduated with an A.B. in 1906. He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with a B.S. in 1909. While there, he was a member of the fraternity of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall). Next, he studied under Gabriel Héraud in Paris at École de Beaux–Arts.