Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas GCMG, OBE, KStJ (10 October 1879 – 15 January 1962) was a British colonial administrator, best remembered as the Governor of the Straits Settlements at the time of the Japanese invasion during the Second World War.

Born in England, Thomas spent the majority of his early career in the Colonial Service in Africa, rising to become Governor of Nyasaland and of the Gold Coast. He was appointed to the Straits Settlements in 1934, serving as Governor until 1942, when he became a Japanese prisoner-of-war after the fall of Singapore. He served again as Governor of the Straits Settlements after the war, from 1945 until 1946, when the territory was broken up.

Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas was born on 10 October 1879, in Southwark, London to The Rev Thomas William Thomas and his wife Charlotte Susanna (née Whitelegge) Thomas.

He was educated at St. John's School, Leatherhead and Queens' College, Cambridge. Thomas taught at Aysgarth School in Yorkshire prior to entering the Colonial Service.

In 1909, Thomas was appointed as Assistant District Commissioner, East Africa Protectorate (Nairobi, Kenya). In 1919, he was appointed Assistant Chief Secretary, Uganda and in 1920 as Chairman of the Uganda Development Commission.

In 1921, he was appointed Principal Assistant Secretary, Nigeria and in 1923, was appointed Deputy Chief Secretary, Nigeria. In 1927, he was appointed Colonial Secretary, Gold Coast Colony (Ghana) before he was appointed Governor of Nyasaland in 1929. In 1932 he was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Gold Coast Colony (Ghana).

In 1934, he was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States.

Thomas was a prisoner-of-war (POW) during the Japanese occupation of Singapore (15 February 1942 – 15 August 1945) having decided to stay in Singapore during the war. He was imprisoned in Cell 24 of Changi Prison along with missionary Ernest Tipson.