Julian P. Thomas

Julian P. Thomas (died May 10, 1932) was an American balloonist and medical doctor in the early 20th century. As a balloonist, he participated in long-distance flights with his wife, his son, and fellow aviator Roy Knabenshue. As a doctor, he became involved in a number of questionable ventures involving fad diets which resulted in legal issues.

Personal life Thomas's father, James Jefferson Thomas, was a cavalry officer in the Confederate army. His mother, Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas is more well known, having kept a journal of her life experiences for 41 years. She considered herself a feminist and a suffragist. Julian spent the early part of his life in Georgia, near Augusta and Atlanta.

Thomas studied at the Medical College of Georgia, earning his medical degree there.

Thomas died on May 10, 1932, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ballooning As a young man, Thomas became interested in bronco riding, racing cars and aviation. He experimented with models of lighter-than-air balloons (both hot-air and gas) as well as aeroplanes. This led to his purchase of a full-sized balloon high with a diameter of , holding of gas. He used coal gas due to its decreased cost compared to hydrogen, even though it provided half the lifting power. A typical flight would carry two or three passengers plus of ballast in the form of sand bags.

Around 1905, Thomas met aviator and aeronautical engineer Roy Knabenshue. Thomas and Knabenshue completed a balloon trip in 1906, traveling from New York to Massachusetts, with an overnight stop in Noank, Connecticut.

In June of that year, Thomas claimed to have broken the US records for both altitude and distance flown in a balloon by covering over between the Bronx and Otsego County, both in New York State, and reaching an altitude of . In December, he published an article in The World's Work describing his experiences in balloons. He crashed when trying to avoid a motorcyclist who was also using the track to prepare for the exhibition to be held two days later.

Medical ventures Thomas operated a mail-order natural foods company in New York City. In 1910, he was found guilty of mislabeling a type of bread he sold which he claimed was "an infallible cure for indigestion, gastritis, and other ills of the stomach". In April 1914, he was arrested and charged with providing fraudulent medical advice by mail.