John Rankin Rogers
Encyclopedia
John Rankin Rogers was the third Governor of the state of Washington. Elected as a member of the People's Party before switching his affiliation to the Democratic Party
, Rogers was elected to two consecutive terms in 1896 and 1900, but died before completing his fifth year in office.
.
Rogers went to Boston
as a youth and apprenticed as a druggist, then moved south to Mississippi
in 1856 to manage a drug store for four years in Jackson
. He moved north to Illinois
in 1860, where he farmed and worked was a school teacher and druggist. He married Sarah Greene in 1861 and together they had five children.
In 1876 the family relocated to Kansas
to farm and Rogers was later an editor of the Kansas Commoner for several years in Wichita
, and was an organizer within the Farmers' Alliance
. Rogers was an advocate for The Single Tax Movement associated with Henry George
.
Rogers moved to Washington in 1890 and settled in Puyallup
, where he operated a drug store.
John R. Rogers authored many books, pamphlets and articles that followed a Populist and Arcadian Agrarian spirit. Growing up in New England
when Jeffersonian
ideals were talked about frequently was a strong influence on his political future.
pneumonia
on December 26, 1901 at age 63.
Rogers is buried in the Woodbine Cemetery in Puyallup.
Two high schools in the state are named for Rogers, on either side of the Cascade Mountains. John R. Rogers High School in Spokane
in eastern
Washington opened in 1932 and Governor John R. Rogers High School in Puyallup
opened in 1968.
Rogers Field
, the football
and track stadium at Washington State University
in Pullman
, was named for him in 1902. A fire, a suspected arson
, significantly damaged the wooden stadium in April 1970. The stadium was reconstructed in 1972 and its name changed to Martin Stadium
, after Clarence D. Martin
, the eleventh governor of Washington (ironically, a graduate of the University of Washington
). The present-day Rogers Field at WSU refers to the practice and intramural fields directly west of the stadium.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Rogers was elected to two consecutive terms in 1896 and 1900, but died before completing his fifth year in office.
Early years
John R. Rogers was born September 4, 1838 in Brunswick, MaineBrunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
.
Rogers went to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
as a youth and apprenticed as a druggist, then moved south to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
in 1856 to manage a drug store for four years in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He moved north to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1860, where he farmed and worked was a school teacher and druggist. He married Sarah Greene in 1861 and together they had five children.
In 1876 the family relocated to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to farm and Rogers was later an editor of the Kansas Commoner for several years in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, and was an organizer within the Farmers' Alliance
Farmers' Alliance
The Farmers Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement amongst U.S. farmers that flourished in the 1880s. One of the goals of the organization was to end the adverse effects of the crop-lien system on farmers after the American Civil War...
. Rogers was an advocate for The Single Tax Movement associated with Henry George
Henry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
.
Rogers moved to Washington in 1890 and settled in Puyallup
Puyallup, Washington
Puyallup, Washington is a city in Pierce County, Washington about five miles east of Tacoma. The population was 37,022 at the 2010 Census. Named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans, Puyallup means "the generous people."-History:...
, where he operated a drug store.
Political career
Rogers was elected to the state legislature in 1895 as a Populist, and governor the following year. As governor he supported the "Barefoot Schoolboy Act" which he had first sponsored while in the state legislature. The Act provided a mechanism of state funding to equalize support for free public education between counties which had a large tax base and those without.John R. Rogers authored many books, pamphlets and articles that followed a Populist and Arcadian Agrarian spirit. Growing up in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
when Jeffersonian
Jeffersonian democracy
Jeffersonian Democracy, so named after its leading advocate Thomas Jefferson, is a term used to describe one of two dominant political outlooks and movements in the United States from the 1790s to the 1820s. The term was commonly used to refer to the Democratic-Republican Party which Jefferson...
ideals were talked about frequently was a strong influence on his political future.
Death and legacy
Rogers served as Governor from January 11, 1897 until his death from lobarLobar pneumonia
Lobar pneumonia is a form of pneumonia that affects a large and continuous area of the lobe of a lung.It is one of the two anatomic classifications of pneumonia .- Symptoms :...
pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on December 26, 1901 at age 63.
Rogers is buried in the Woodbine Cemetery in Puyallup.
Two high schools in the state are named for Rogers, on either side of the Cascade Mountains. John R. Rogers High School in Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
in eastern
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the portion of the U.S. state of Washington east of the Cascade Range. The region contains the city of Spokane , the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the...
Washington opened in 1932 and Governor John R. Rogers High School in Puyallup
Puyallup, Washington
Puyallup, Washington is a city in Pierce County, Washington about five miles east of Tacoma. The population was 37,022 at the 2010 Census. Named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans, Puyallup means "the generous people."-History:...
opened in 1968.
Rogers Field
Rogers Field (Washington State)
Rogers Field was an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. It was the home venue of the WSU Cougars football and track teams until severely damaged by a fire in April 1970...
, the football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and track stadium at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
in Pullman
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
, was named for him in 1902. A fire, a suspected arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, significantly damaged the wooden stadium in April 1970. The stadium was reconstructed in 1972 and its name changed to Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pullman, Washington, United States, on the campus of Washington State University. It is the home field of the Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-12 Conference, and is the smallest football stadium in the conference...
, after Clarence D. Martin
Clarence D. Martin
Clarence Daniel Martin was the 11th Governor of the state of Washington. A Democrat, he served two terms from 1933 to 1941....
, the eleventh governor of Washington (ironically, a graduate of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
). The present-day Rogers Field at WSU refers to the practice and intramural fields directly west of the stadium.
Further reading
- R. Douglas Hurt, "John R. Rogers: The Union Labor Party, Georgism, and Agrarian Reform." Journal of the West, vol. 16 (January 1977), pp. 10-15.
- Edmond S. Meany, Governors of Washington: Territorial and State. Seattle: University of Washington, 1915.
External links
- Examination of the Barefoot Schoolboy Act at Washington Secretary of State website