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Cage 615
John Rankin Rogers
Papers, 1814-1926
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| Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 Inquiries |
Cage 615
John Rankin Rogers
Papers, 1814-1926
The papers of John Rankin Rogers, Governor of the State of Washington, 1897-1901, were separated from the papers of Fred R. Yoder, MS 92-77, in 1994. They were accessioned as MS 94-50. Yoder acquired the the John R. Rogers papers from the Rogers family in 1942. Mrs. W. A. Hall, of Bellingham, one of Rogers' daughters, had previously held a large portion of the collection, including newspaper clipping scrapbooks and typescripts of speeches. Steven Rasmussen arranged the John Rankin Rogers Papers in June 1994 and Robert W. Hadlow wrote the descriptive material in September and October 1994.
BIOGRAPHY
As a teenager, he went to Boston and apprenticed at a drug store. By 1856, he moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he managed a drug store until 1860. Rogers moved to Illinois where he farmed and worked as a school teacher and a druggist. In 1876, he moved to Kansas where he again farmed. In 1878, Rogers became an organizer of the Farmers' Alliance. He also served as editor of the Kansas Commoner for several years in Wichita. Rogers was an active member of the farmer-based wing of the populist movement throughout the time of it existence.
In 1890, John R. Rogers moved to the state of Washington, where he settled in Puyallup and operated a drug store. Rogers also served as a leader of the Populist party in Washington. In 1895, he was elected to the state legislature as a Populist. While a lawmaker, Rogers drafted and secured passage of the ``barefoot schoolboy bill." The new law made cities bear part of the expense of funding country schools, with the idea of giving equal educational opportunities to all children in the state.
John R. Rogers was elected Washington's one and only Populist governor in 1896. His victory was the product of a fusion of support among Populists, silver Republicans, and Bryan Democrats that pushed Rogers to a victory over his closest opponent, Republican P. B. Sullivan, by over 12,000 votes. As governor, Rogers continued to support state education reform. In addition, he promoted government efficiency and prison system reform.
Throughout the 1890s, Rogers authored many volumes with populist themes. These include: The Irrepressible Conflict; or An American System of Money, 1892; The Rights of Man and The Wrongs of Man, 1893; Politics: An Argument in Favor of the Inalienable Rights of Man, 1894; Homes for the Homeless, 1895; Free Land: The Remedy for Involuntary Poverty . . ., 1897; Looking Forward, or The Story of an American Farm, 1898; Life, 1899; and The Inalienable Rights of Man, 1900.
In September 1900, the Fusionists renominated Rogers as governor and he was reelected as a Democrat in November by a plurality of 2,000 votes, in the face of a plurality for the national and state Republican ticket of 13,000. Rogers served less than a year of his second term before a he died on December 26, 1901 after a short bout with lobar pneumonia.
John R. Rogers married Sara L. Greene in Illinois on March 17, 1861. They had five children: Frederick J. Rogers, professor of physics at Stanford University; Albert R. Rogers, newspaper editor, Santa Barbara, California; Edwin R. Rogers, businessman, Tacoma; Mrs. William Blackman, Spokane; and Helen Rogers, Tacoma. Sara Greene Rogers was born on May 4, 1840 in Gallipolis, Ohio. She died in Washington in 1909.
ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION
John Rankin Rogers' papers consist of several types of documents, from family genealogy records to Rogers' gubernatorial speeches to memorials made at his death in 1901. The collection also includes Rogers' newspaper clipping scrapbooks, photographs, and ephemera. It is arranged by type of document, and then by chronology.
The majority of the collection is devoted to typescript copies of speeches that Rogers made while governor and newspaper clipping scrapbooks that cover this same period. The copies of Rogers speeches serve as an adjunct to a collection of speeches (Cage 4193) given by Frederick J. Rogers to the State College of Washington Library in 1932. While the two sets of Rogers' speeches have much duplication, the manuscripts included with these papers are invaluable because they include Rogers' handwritten margin notes.
The scrapbooks follow a rough chronology, regardless of the titles on their bindings. Their contents include news stories on Rogers' abilities and activities as governor, offering both praise and criticism. In addition, many of Rogers' speeches are found, in newsprint form, in the books. Finally, much of volumes four and five were assembled after Rogers' death. They include obituaries, memorials, and tributes to Governor Rogers.
CONTAINER LIST
BOX FOLDER DESCRIPTION
1 1 Ancestry Folder--genealogy materials
2 Ancestry Folder--miscellaneous correspondence, 1814-1887
3 The Common Publishing Company charter, February 23, 1888
Typewritten copies of speeches by Rogers
4 "The Absolute Certainty of Washington's Future
Greatness," [to the editor of the Seattle Times], n.d.
5 "A Forced Advance," n.d.
6 "Governor Rogers' Veto of the Capitol Bill [the 1st
Capitol Bill]," n.d.
7 "My Greatest Punishment and Its Lesson," n.d.
8 "The Reign of Law," n.d., [version A].
9 "The Reign of Law," n.d., [version B].
10 "Fourth of July Address of Governor Rogers, at New
Whatcom, Washington, July 5th, 1897."
11 "The School Life. An address delivered by Governor
Rogers before the graduating class of the Washington
State Agricultural College, at Pullman, Washington.
June 24th, 1897."
12 "Post-prandial speech of Governor Rogers of Washington at
anniversary dinner of First Free Church of Tacoma at
Masonic Hall, Tuesday evening, November 30th, 1897."
13 ["Governor John R. Rogers and Woman Suffrage"] for the
Oregonian by Mrs. Blankenship, January 19, 1898
[dateline: Olympia].
14 "Future Commercial Development of State of Washington,
[given at meeting of] Tacoma Chamber of Commerce,
Jan 26, 1898."
15 "Address at Normal School, Ellensburg, June 15, 1898."
16 "Veto of 3d Capitol Bill," March 8 1899.
17 "Manifest Destiny. Part of Speech of Gov. Rogers at
Whatcom banquet, Tuesday night, March 28 [,1899]."
18 "Jefferson and Popular Government. Speech of Governor
John R. Rogers at Jeffersonian Banquet, Tacoma,
April 13th 1899.
19 "Decoration Day Address of Governor Rogers at Wash'n
Soldiers Home [in Orting], May 30th, 1899." [Used
previously for address at Palouse, Wa., for the Whitman
Co. Veterans Association, May 26, 1899].
20 "The Kingdom of Hope. Address of Gov. Rogers at
commencement exercises, Tacoma Normal Training School,
June 14, 1899."
21 "The Progress of Man. An address delivered by Gov. John
R. Rogers, at the Commencement Exercises of Cheney
Normal School, June 22nd, 1899.
22 "Address of Gov. Rogers at Tacoma, July 4th., 1899."
23 "Address of Gov. Rogers, Return of 1st Washington
Volunteers, Seattle, [November 6], 1899."
24 "The Ideal in Literature." By Gov. John R. Rogers,
written for Holiday edition, Saturday Mail,
Seattle, 1899.
25 "Battle of Life. Address of Gov. Rogers to Graduating
Class, University of Washington, May 29, 1901."
26 "Address of Gov. Rogers at Funeral of Co. J. J. Weisen-
burger, Whatcom, Sunday June 9th, 1901."
27 "Special Message of Gov. Rogers to Legislature," June 11,
1901.
28 "Response of Gov. Rogers to the Toast: 'The School for
the Citizen Soldier--The National Guard'; at the G.A.R.
Banquet, Germania Hall, Tacoma, Thursday eve,
June 27th, 1901."
29 "Summary of 4th of July Address at Everett, 1901."
30 Published Messages, Treatises, and Speeches, 1894-1901, by
John R. Rogers.
31 Published Proclamations by Governor Rogers.
32 Probate Documents, Estate of John R. Rogers, 1901-02.
33 Biographical Sketch of John R Rogers, by Frederick John
Rogers, his son.
34 "In Memoriam," of John R. Rogers by E. R. Rogers,
May 13, 1926
35 Memorial Addresses on the Life and Character of
Governor John Rankin Rogers, Sept. 4, 1838--Dec. 26, 1901
(Seattle, 1903), 2 copies.
36 John R. Rogers as Governor, death and funeral, original
newspaper clippings
37 Letters,[copies] George Grantham Bain to Gov. John R.
Rogers, May 16, 1897; Gov. John R. Rogers to George
Grantham Bain, May 1897
38 Letter, Henry Bucey to Gov. John R. Rogers, July 14, 1899
39 John R. Rogers' correspondence as Governor of Washington
[xeroxes of originals held by the Washington State
Archives, Olympia], part 1
40 John R. Rogers' correspondence as Governor of Washington
[xeroxes of originals held by the Washington State
Archives, Olympia], part 2
BOX FOLDER DESCRIPTION
2 Scrapbooks--ledger books prepared by Rogers that
contain newspaper clippings about his political career
41 "No. 1, Personal Scraps." covers Oct. 1894-Feb. 1898--
Rogers' early political career in Washington.
42 "No. 2, Politics" covers March 1898-June 1899--Clippings
address major issues in Rogers' 1st administration.
43 "Personal, No. 3" covers June 1899-Nov. 1900--Clippings
addressing latter part of Rogers' 1st administration.
44 "John R. Rogers Personal. No. 4." Jan. 1901-1909--
Clippings addressing Rogers' 2nd administration and
his death.
3 45 "No. 5" 1901-32--Clippings of death notices, obituaries,
memorials, etc., on John R. Rogers, from all over U.S.
46 "No. 6, Literary Scraps." Misc. clippings attributed to
Rogers' years as Washington governor.
Photographs
47 Photographs of Maine
48 Father, Mother, and Grandfather of John R. Rogers
49 John R. Rogers
50 Sara Greene Rogers
51 John and Sara Rogers and Family
52 Gravestones of John and Sara Rogers, Woodbine Cemetary,
Puyallup
53 Governor and Mrs. Rogers' home, Olympia
54 Governor Rogers and the Washington Volunteers, Spanish-
American War, 1899
55 "William Jennings Bryan and Party of Distinguished
Democrats who accompanied him on his tour through
Washington State," including John R. Rogers, c. 1900.
56 Washington State Capitol, 1901
Ephemera
57 Campaign Ribbon, "John R. Rogers, Our Next Governor,"
c. 1896
58 "National Capital Centennial 1900, The Commemorative
Medal," presented to Gov. John R. Rogers, December 12,
1900
59 Silverplated Engraved Invitation to Governor John R.
Rogers for "Butcher's Day," Seattle, June 1, 1901