Thomas Franklin Kane was born in Westfield, Indiana in 1863. He graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana in 1889 and completed his Masters degree at the same school in 1891. Around 1890, Kane married Dorothy Gower at his father's home in Westfield. Kane completed a PhD in Latin at Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) before beginning his career in higher education as a professor of Latin at Olivet College (Michigan) in 1895. From there, he went on to serve as a professor of Latin and Greek at the University of Washington from 1900 to 1902. In 1902 Kane was made acting president of the University of Washington and was appointed president the following year. In 1911 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of law from DePauw University and in 1913 was president of the National Association of State Universities. Following his dismissal from the University of Washington in 1914, Kane returned to Michigan and held the office of president at Olivet College from 1916 to 1918. He became the president of the University of North Dakota in 1918 and served that institution until his retirement in 1933. Kane died April 10, 1953 in Seattle, Washington.