Thomas Gilbert Pearson (1873–1943), was an American conservationist and one of the first faculty members at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was a founder of the National Association of Audubon Societies, which became the National Audubon Society. He was also a founder of the International Committee for Bird Protection (now BirdLife International). At 13, he bought a gun, which he had long desired to own. He learned that he could earn .90 to $1.25 by killing egrets to sell their plumes. He also made money by selling many birds' eggs.