John Rogers (Governor)

John Rankin Rogers

John Rankin Rogers (born September 4, 1838 in Brunswick , Maine , † December 26, 1901 in Washington ) was an American politician and from 1897 to 1901 the third governor of Washington state .

Early years

Rogers first completed an apprenticeship as a pharmacist. He then worked in various positions before buying a farm in Kansas . In Wichita he bought the newspaper "Kansas Commoner", in which he first supported the Union Labor Party and later the Farmer's Alliance , the farmer's party. This then gave rise to the Populist Party , which primarily represented the interests of farmers and the common people. After leaving his farm, he moved to Puyallup, Washington State, where he entered the commercial and real estate business. He also supported the farmers in Washington and helped build their party in that state. In 1894 he was elected to the state parliament as a member of this party ; two years later he was elected the new governor.

Washington governor

Rogers took up his new office on January 11, 1897. As governor, he campaigned for the goals of the farmers and the populist party, which in some areas also went under the name of the People's Party . Another focus of his government was school policy. Here he supported the so-called “School Boy Act”, a law that he had already helped to prepare during his time in the state parliament. It was about fair schooling throughout the state, regardless of the region's tax revenue. For this purpose, a compensation system was created that made enough money available for schools in all parts of the country. Independently of this, the governor advocated a strong and business-oriented government. As a supporter of the national idea of ​​that time, he supported the military expansion in foreign policy. In his years this particularly affected the Spanish-American War , which broke out in 1898. From 1897 to 1899, the city of Seattle grew rapidly as a starting point for many gold seekers trying their luck in the Klondike gold rush . Mount Rainier National Park was opened in 1899 .

After the Populist Party was absorbed into the Democratic Party towards the end of the 19th century , Rogers also became a member of this party, which nominated him for re-election in 1900. Rogers began his second term in January 1901, but died after just under a year on December 26, 1901. He was married to Sarah Greene, with whom he had six children.

Web links

• John Rogers in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of Washington (English)
• John Rogers in the database of Find a Grave (English)