Will Rogers (politician)

Will Rogers

Will Rogers (born December 12, 1898 in Bessie , Washita County , Oklahoma , † August 3, 1983 in Falls Church , Virginia ) was an American politician . Between 1933 and 1943 he represented the ninth constituency of the state of Oklahoma in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Will Rogers was born on a farm near Bessie in what was then the Oklahoma Territory . He attended his home public schools and Southwestern Teachers College in Weatherford . He then studied until 1926 at Central Teachers College in Edmond and until 1930 at the University of Oklahoma . Rogers began a school career early on. He had already been a teacher in Bessie from 1917 to 1919. Between 1919 and 1923 he taught in Bartlesville . From 1923 to 1932 he was a school councilor in various Oklahoma school districts.

Politically, he became a member of the Democratic Party . As their candidate, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in 1932 in the newly created ninth electoral district . After four re-elections between March 4, 1933 and January 3, 1943, he was able to complete a total of five legislative terms. In Congress he was temporarily chairman of the Indian Committee. In 1942 the ninth electoral district was dissolved again. Rogers was the only MP who could represent this district in Congress. He then tried unsuccessfully to be nominated in other constituencies.

In 1943, Will Rogers ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of State of Oklahoma. Between 1943 and 1945 he worked for the Home Office and from 1946 to 1968 in various positions for the Department of Agriculture in Washington. He retired in 1968. After that, he was still active in the real estate industry. Will Rogers was then living in McLean, Virginia. He died in Falls Church in August 1983.

Web links

• Will Rogers in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Will Rogers in the database of Find a Grave (English)