Step 1: Understanding the third kingdom.
The third kingdom, Protista, was proposed by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel. He introduced the kingdom to include unicellular organisms, distinguishing them from plants, animals, and fungi.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) R.H. Whittaker: R.H. Whittaker proposed the five-kingdom classification system but did not suggest the third kingdom Protista.
(B) Carl Linnaeus: Carl Linnaeus is known for developing the binomial nomenclature system and the classification of organisms, but he did not propose the third kingdom.
(C) Haeckel: Correct — Ernst Haeckel proposed the kingdom Protista.
(D) Carl Woese: Carl Woese is known for the three-domain system of classification but did not propose the third kingdom Protista.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (C) Haeckel, as he proposed the third kingdom Protista.