Thomas Blackson was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland. He went to college in the Midwest. When he graduated, he wasn't sure what to do. He moved to Cambridge, since some friends were moving there. He worked in computers, first at Instrumentation Laboratory and later at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After a few years, he took a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. His first academic jobs were visiting positions. He was a visiting assistant professor at North Carolina State University for two years and at Arizona State University for two years. His first permanent position was at Temple University. After three years, he was promoted with tenure to associate professor. He never much liked living in the East, so he took a reduction in rank and returned to Arizona State University when a permanent job became available. Two years later, he was tenured and promoted to associate professor for a second time.