William Findlay Rogers

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = William Findlay Rogers

| image = William Findlay Rogers.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = March 1, 1820

| birth_place = Forks Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| residence =

| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1899|12|16|1820|03|01}}

| death_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.

| state2 = New York

| district2 = 32nd

| term_start2 = March 4, 1883

| term_end2 = March 3, 1885

| preceded2 = Jonathan Scoville

| succeeded2 = John M. Farquhar

| order3 = 29th

| office3 = Mayor of Buffalo, New York

| term_start3 = 1868

| term_end3 = 1869

| predecessor3 = Chandler J. Wells

| successor3 = Alexander Brush

| party = Democrat

| parents = Thomas Jones Rogers

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Caroline Waldron
||1847|reason=her death}}
{{marriage|Phoebe Demony
|1849|1890|reason=her death}}

}}

| children = 4

| allegiance = United States
Union

| branch = Union Army

| serviceyears = 1861-1863

| rank = 35px Colonel
35px Bvt. Brigadier General Major General

| unit =

| commands = 21st New York Infantry

| battles = American Civil War

}}

William Findlay Rogers (March 1, 1820 – December 16, 1899) was an American politician who served one term as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York from 1883 to 1885.{{cite book|last=Rizzo|first=Michael|title=Through The Mayors' Eyes|year=2005|publisher=Lulu|isbn=978-1-4116-3757-3|pages=424}}

Rogers is probably best remembered today as the mayor and parks commissioner who hired Frederick Law Olmsted to design Buffalo's park system and its showpiece, Delaware Park. Rogers also supported the foundation of the Buffalo Zoo.

Early life

William Findlay Rogers was born in Forks Township, Pennsylvania, near the borough of Easton, Pennsylvania, on March 1, 1820. He was the son of Irish-born U.S. Representative Thomas Jones Rogers and Mary (née Winters) Rogers, daughter of Christian Winters.

He moved with his parents to Philadelphia, where he attended the common schools. Rogers returned to Easton and entered a printing office in 1832.{{cite book|last1=Soderlund|first1=Jean R.|last2=Parzynski|first2=Catherine S.|title=Backcountry Crucibles: The Lehigh Valley from Settlement to Steel|date=2008|publisher=Associated University Presse|isbn=9780934223805|page=246|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZ2Hlsh7PMQC&pg=PA246|access-date=14 May 2018|language=en}} Two years later, he returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and continued working in his trade.

Career

In 1840, Rogers established a paper in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. In 1846, he moved to Buffalo, New York and became a foreman in the office of the Buffalo Daily Courier. Rogers established and managed the Buffalo Republic in 1850.

Rogers served as a member of Company D of the Buffalo City Guard in 1846 and served in the American Civil War as colonel of the 21st New York Volunteer Infantry.{{cite book|title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York|date=1912|publisher=New York (State) Legislature Assembly|page=1971|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cUo7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1971|access-date=14 May 2018|language=en}} He mustered out in 1863.

=Political career=

In 1867, he became the comptroller of the city of Buffalo and its mayor in 1869. He served as secretary and treasurer of the Buffalo Park Commissioners in 1871. He was nominated for the New York State Senate in 1878 but declined.

== Congress ==

Rogers was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1884.{{cite web|title=ROGERS, William Findlay - Biographical Information|url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000407|website=bioguide.congress.gov|publisher=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date=14 May 2018}} He served as the superintendent of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Bath, New York, from 1887 to 1897.{{cite book|last1=Hakes|first1=Harlo|last2=Aldrich|first2=Lewis Cass|title=Landmarks of Steuben County, New York|date=1896|publisher=D. Mason|page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924095617415/page/1 1]|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924095617415|access-date=14 May 2018|language=en}}

Personal life

Rogers was twice married and the father of four children. He was first married to Caroline M. Waldron (1821–1847), and they were the parents of one son:

Franklin Rogers, who became a printer.

After her death, he married Phoebe Demony (1830–1890) in 1849. They were the parents of:

Mary Rogers, who married William C. Brown.
Florence R. Rogers (1861–1932), who married Charles N. Armstrong (1858–1927).
Thomas J. Rogers was a prominent civil engineer.

He died in Buffalo on December 16, 1899, and is interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery.Roll of Honor, The Buffalo Commercial, (Buffalo, New York) May 31, 1900, page 8, accessed May 19, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11102133/roll_of_honot_the_buffalo_commercial/

References

Sources

{{cite web|url=http://www.buffalonian.com/history/industry/mayors/Rogers.htm|title=William F. Rogers|date=2009-05-27|work= Through The Mayor's Eyes, The Only Complete History of the Mayor's of Buffalo, New York, Compiled by Michael Rizzo|publisher=The Buffalonian is produced by The Peoples History Union}}