William Barton Rogers
Encyclopedia
William Barton Rogers was a geologist
, physicist
and educator. He is best known for setting down the founding principles for, advocating for, and finally obtaining the incorporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) in 1861. The university opened in 1865 after the American Civil War
.
(UPenn) and practiced medicine. When William Barton was born, Patrick Rogers was tutor at UPenn. In 1819 Patrick Rogers became professor of natural philosophy and mathematics at the College of William and Mary
, where he remained until his death in 1828.
William Barton Rogers had three brothers: James Blythe Rogers
(1802–1852), Henry Darwin Rogers
(1808–1866), and Robert Empie Rogers
(1813–1884). The Rogers brothers would each grow up to be distinguished scientists.
and on the voltaic battery, and prepared a series of papers on the greensand
and calcareous marl
of eastern Virginia and their value as fertilizer
s.
In 1833, his brother Henry had returned from England filled with enthusiasm for geology. This had prompted Rogers to begin studies in the field. The practical value of his article on greensand
caught the eye of the Virginia legislature. Rogers took this opportunity to lobby for a geological survey of Virginia, and he was called upon to organize it in 1835.
By 1835, his brother Henry was state geologist of Pennsylvania
, and together they unfolded the historical geology of the Appalachian
chain. Among their joint special investigations were the study of the solvent action of water on various minerals and rocks, and the demonstration that coal beds stand in close genetic relation to the amount of disturbance to which the inclosing strata have been submitted, the coal becoming harder and containing less volatile matter as the evidence of the disturbance increases. Together they published a paper on “The Laws of Structure of the more Disturbed Zones of the Earth's Crust,” in which the wave theory of mountain chains was first announced. This was followed later by William B. Rogers's statement of the law of distribution of faults. In 1842 the work of the survey closed. State revenues had shrunk beginning in 1837, and the funding for the survey had been cut back. Meanwhile Rogers had published six “Reports of the Geological Survey of the State of Virginia” (Richmond, 1836–40), though there were few copies. They were later compiled by Jed Hotchkiss and issued in one volume with a map as Papers on the Geology of Virginia (New York, 1884).
In 1835 Rogers also began serving as professor of natural philosophy at the University of Virginia
(UVA). There he added mineralogy
and geology to the curriculum
, and did original research in geology, chemistry
and physics. While he was chair of the department of philosophy at UVA, he vigorously defended to the Virginia State Legislature the University's refusal to award honoris causa degrees. He resigned in protest in 1853. (To this day, MIT does not award honorary degrees in any discipline.) Longing for a more stimulating atmosphere, and for other reasons, he had tendered his resignation in 1848, but was persuaded to remain. In 1849, he married Emma Savage of Boston.
After the 1853 resignation, Rogers moved to Boston
, where he became active in the scientific movements under the auspices of the Boston Society of Natural History
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, in whose proceedings and the American Journal of Science
his papers of this period were published. About 1859 he began to interest the people of Boston in his scheme for technical education, in which he desired to have associated, on one side research and investigation on the largest scale, and on the other agencies for the popular diffusion of useful knowledge. This project continued to occupy his attention until it culminated in the organization of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of which he became first president.
He delivered a course of lectures before the Lowell Institute
on “The Application of Science to the Arts” in 1862. In 1861, he was appointed inspector of gas and gas meters for the state of Massachusetts
. He accepted reluctantly. During his service, he improved the standards of measurement.
He died after collapsing during a speech at MIT's 1882 commencement exercises. His last words were "bituminous coal
".
(AAGN; organized 1840) in 1845 and again in 1847, and contributed important memoirs to its Transactions, including observations on the temperature of coal mines in eastern Virginia. In 1847 he also called to order the first meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), an enlargement of the AAGN. He was president of the AAAS in 1875, and elected its first honorary fellow in 1881, as a special mark of distinction. He was active in founding the American Social Science Association
and its first president; also he was one of the corporate members of the National Academy of Sciences
, and its president from 1878 until his death. In 1866, Harvard
gave him the degree of LL.D.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and educator. He is best known for setting down the founding principles for, advocating for, and finally obtaining the incorporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) in 1861. The university opened in 1865 after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
Rogers was born on December 7, 1804, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the second son of Patrick Kerr Rogers and Hannah Blythe and was of Irish, Scottish, and English extraction. Patrick Rogers was born in Ireland and had immigrated at the end of the 18th century to America, where he graduated from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(UPenn) and practiced medicine. When William Barton was born, Patrick Rogers was tutor at UPenn. In 1819 Patrick Rogers became professor of natural philosophy and mathematics at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, where he remained until his death in 1828.
William Barton Rogers had three brothers: James Blythe Rogers
James Blythe Rogers
James Blythe Rogers was a United States chemist.-Biography:He was the eldest son of Patrick Kerr Rogers, who had graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1802, and in 1819 was elected professor of natural philosophy and mathematics at William and Mary College,...
(1802–1852), Henry Darwin Rogers
Henry Darwin Rogers
Henry Darwin Rogers FRS FRSE was an American geologist.-Biography:Rogers was born at Philadelphia. His middle name was given him in honor of Erasmus Darwin, of whose poem “The Botanic Garden” his father was a great admirer...
(1808–1866), and Robert Empie Rogers
Robert Empie Rogers
Robert Empie Rogers was a United States chemist.-Biography:...
(1813–1884). The Rogers brothers would each grow up to be distinguished scientists.
Education and career
Rogers was educated by his father, attended the public schools of Baltimore, Maryland, and also graduated from the College of William and Mary. He delivered a series of lectures on science before the Maryland Institute in 1827, and succeeded his father as professor of natural philosophy and chemistry at William and Mary in 1828, where he remained until 1835. During this time, he carried on investigations on dewDew
[Image:Dew on a flower.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Some dew on an iris in Sequoia National Park]]Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening...
and on the voltaic battery, and prepared a series of papers on the greensand
Greensand
Greensand or Green sand is either a sand or sandstone, which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment, that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay...
and calcareous marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
of eastern Virginia and their value as fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s.
In 1833, his brother Henry had returned from England filled with enthusiasm for geology. This had prompted Rogers to begin studies in the field. The practical value of his article on greensand
Greensand
Greensand or Green sand is either a sand or sandstone, which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment, that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay...
caught the eye of the Virginia legislature. Rogers took this opportunity to lobby for a geological survey of Virginia, and he was called upon to organize it in 1835.
By 1835, his brother Henry was state geologist of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and together they unfolded the historical geology of the Appalachian
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
chain. Among their joint special investigations were the study of the solvent action of water on various minerals and rocks, and the demonstration that coal beds stand in close genetic relation to the amount of disturbance to which the inclosing strata have been submitted, the coal becoming harder and containing less volatile matter as the evidence of the disturbance increases. Together they published a paper on “The Laws of Structure of the more Disturbed Zones of the Earth's Crust,” in which the wave theory of mountain chains was first announced. This was followed later by William B. Rogers's statement of the law of distribution of faults. In 1842 the work of the survey closed. State revenues had shrunk beginning in 1837, and the funding for the survey had been cut back. Meanwhile Rogers had published six “Reports of the Geological Survey of the State of Virginia” (Richmond, 1836–40), though there were few copies. They were later compiled by Jed Hotchkiss and issued in one volume with a map as Papers on the Geology of Virginia (New York, 1884).
In 1835 Rogers also began serving as professor of natural philosophy at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
(UVA). There he added mineralogy
Mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
and geology to the curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
, and did original research in geology, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and physics. While he was chair of the department of philosophy at UVA, he vigorously defended to the Virginia State Legislature the University's refusal to award honoris causa degrees. He resigned in protest in 1853. (To this day, MIT does not award honorary degrees in any discipline.) Longing for a more stimulating atmosphere, and for other reasons, he had tendered his resignation in 1848, but was persuaded to remain. In 1849, he married Emma Savage of Boston.
After the 1853 resignation, Rogers moved 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...
, where he became active in the scientific movements under the auspices of the Boston Society of Natural History
Boston Society of Natural History
The Boston Society of Natural History in Boston, Massachusetts, was an organization dedicated to the study and promotion of natural history. It published a scholarly journal and established a museum. In its first few decades, the society occupied several successive locations in Boston's Financial...
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, in whose proceedings and the American Journal of Science
American Journal of Science
The American Journal of Science is the United States of America's longest-running scientific journal, having been published continuously since its conception in 1818 by Professor Benjamin Silliman, who edited and financed it himself...
his papers of this period were published. About 1859 he began to interest the people of Boston in his scheme for technical education, in which he desired to have associated, on one side research and investigation on the largest scale, and on the other agencies for the popular diffusion of useful knowledge. This project continued to occupy his attention until it culminated in the organization of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of which he became first president.
He delivered a course of lectures before the Lowell Institute
Lowell Institute
The Lowell Institute is an educational foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., providing for free public lectures, and endowed by the bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell, Jr., who died in 1836. Under the terms of his will 10% of the net income was to be added to the principal, which in...
on “The Application of Science to the Arts” in 1862. In 1861, he was appointed inspector of gas and gas meters for the state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He accepted reluctantly. During his service, he improved the standards of measurement.
MIT Presidency
An act of the Massachusetts State Legislature incorporated MIT in 1861, and Rogers became its first president in 1862. He served as president of MIT until 1870, when he stood down because of declining health. By necessity, he returned to office in 1878 and continued to 1881, when he was made professor emeritus of physics and geology, which position he had held while he was president.He died after collapsing during a speech at MIT's 1882 commencement exercises. His last words were "bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
".
Other affiliations
Rogers was chairman of the Association of American Geologists and NaturalistsAssociation of American Geologists and Naturalists
The Association of American Geologists and Naturalists was an American Scientific organization. The society was founded in 1840 as the "American Association of Geologists" in Philadelphia...
(AAGN; organized 1840) in 1845 and again in 1847, and contributed important memoirs to its Transactions, including observations on the temperature of coal mines in eastern Virginia. In 1847 he also called to order the first meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(AAAS), an enlargement of the AAGN. He was president of the AAAS in 1875, and elected its first honorary fellow in 1881, as a special mark of distinction. He was active in founding the American Social Science Association
American Social Science Association
In 1865, at Boston, Massachusetts, a society for the study of social questions was organized and given the name American Social Science Association. The group grew to where its membership totaled about 1,000 persons. About 30 corresponding members were located in Europe...
and its first president; also he was one of the corporate members of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, and its president from 1878 until his death. In 1866, Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
gave him the degree of LL.D.
Works
Besides numerous papers on geology, chemistry, and physics, contributed to the proceedings of societies and technical journals, he was the author of:- Strength of Materials (Charlottesville, 1838)
- Elements of Mechanical Philosophy (Boston, 1852)
- Papers on the Geology of Virginia (New York, 1884)
Further reading
- Angulo A.J. (2009.) William Barton Rogers and the Idea of MIT. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
- W. S. W. RuschenbergerWilliam RuschenbergerDr. William Samuel Waithman Ruschenberger was a surgeon for the United States Navy and an author.-Biography:...
, “A Sketch of the Life of Robert E. Rogers, with Biographical Notices of His Father and Brothers,” in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, v. XXIII (1886). - Emma Barton (with William T. Sidgwick), ed., Life and Letters of William Barton Rogers (Boston, 1897)
- J. R. Killian, Jr.James Rhyne KillianDr. James Rhyne Killian, Jr. was the 10th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1948 until 1959.-Career:...
, “William Barton Rogers” in Technology ReviewTechnology ReviewTechnology Review is a magazine published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was founded in 1899 as "The Technology Review", and was re-launched without the "The" in its name on April 23, 1998 under then publisher R. Bruce Journey...
, v. 60 (1958), pp. 105–8, 124-30. - R. R. Shrock, Geology at M.I.T. 1865-1965, vol. 1: The Faculty and Supporting Staff, 1977.