William Barton Rogers

From Special Collections Research Center Wiki

William Barton Rogers, 1804-1882, the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was educated at the College of William and Mary, but apparently did not receive a degree. Rogers Hall at the College of William and Mary is named for him. He was professor of natural philosophy and chemistry at the College of William and Mary from 1828 until 1835, when he was elected to the chair of natural philosophy at the University of Virginia. At about the same time he was appointed to lead the first geological survey of the state of Virginia, which he worked on for the next six years. In 1853 he resigned from the University of Virginia and moved to Boston, where he enlisted the support of the scientific community to create an institution for technical and scientific education. Largely through his efforts, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was incorporated in 1861. He served as president of MIT from the first meeting of the incorporators in 1862 until 1870, then served a second term from 1879 to 1881. According to MIT Archives Collection Number MC1, William Barton Rogers' Papers, Rogers died while giving the commencement address at MIT in 1882.

Material in the SCRC

• Search the SCRC Collections Database

A note about the information in this wiki

Unfortunately, many of the early original records of the College of William and Mary were destroyed by fire, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information available here is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in the SCRC's collections and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the SCRC's access tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.