William Barton Rogers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd President of the National Academy of Sciences | |
| In office 1879–1883 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Henry |
| Succeeded by | Othniel Charles Marsh |
| 1st President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
| In office 1878–1881 | |
| Preceded by | John Daniel Runkle |
| Succeeded by | Francis Amasa Walker |
| In office 1862–1870 | |
| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | John Daniel Runkle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1804 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Died | May 30, 1882 (aged 77) Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Alma mater | College of William and Mary (no degree) |
| Known for | Founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Signature |  |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry, physics, geology |
| Institutions | |
William Barton Rogers (December 7, 1804 – May 30, 1882) was an American geologist, physicist, and the founder and first president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
A acclaimed lecturer in the physical sciences, Rogers taught at College of William & Mary (1828–1835) and the University of Virginia (1835–1853). While at the university, he served as Virginia's first state geologist and led the state's first geological survey. After meeting Emma Savage in Boston, he married and moved there in 1853.
A proponent of practical observation and scientific reasoning, Rogers saw that a university for the "useful arts" could be essential in an age of industrial progress. In 1861, Rogers secured funding from the Massachusetts legislature for a school of the "useful arts." When MIT opened in 1865, Rogers was its first president and physics instructor. Ill health caused him to step away from his duties in 1868, although he stayed active in forming the Institute's curriculum, fundraising, and efforts at coeducation. He returned as MIT's president in 1878, stepped down three years later, and died while giving MIT's 1882 graduation speech.
During the time Rogers lived in Virginia, he was a slaveowner, with two slaves in his household in 1840 and six slaves in 1850;[1] one, his cook, was Isabella Gibbons.
- ^ Dizikes, Peter (2018-02-12). "MIT class reveals, explores Institute's connections to slavery". MIT News Office. Retrieved 2018-02-12.