William Barton Rogers

William Barton Rogers 1804-82, American geologist and educator, b. Philadelphia, grad. William and Mary, 1822. He was professor of geology at William and Mary (1828-35) and at the Univ. of Virginia (1835-53) and headed the Virginia geological survey. Rogers was the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he served as first president and as professor of physics and geology, laying the foundation of the institute's distinguished service to scientific education. In addition to his report on the Virginia survey, he wrote Strength of Materials (1838) and Elements of Mechanical Philosophy (1852).

Rogers, Will ( William Penn Adair) (1879–1935) US comedian who appeared in vaudeville as a cowboy and joined the Ziegfeld Follies in 1914. Through his contributions to film, radio, and a syndicated newspaper column, he became known as the ‘cowboy philosopher’.

Williams, Roger (c.1604–83). Advocate of religious toleration, and an American colonist. After ordination (probably in 1629) he became chaplain to Sir William Masham, but separatist views compelled him to seek religious freedom in N. America (1630). He established a settlement which he named ‘Providence’ (1636), and founded Rhode Island where he formed the first Baptist church in the colonies.