William Barton Rogers

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Don William Barton Rogers
Image:William Barton Rogers.jpg
William Barton Rogers in 1869
Born7 December 1804(1804-12-07)
Virginia
Died30 May 1882 (aged 77)
Boston, Massachusetts
ResidenceImage:Flag of the United States.svg United States
Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NationalityImage:Flag of the United States.svg American
FieldPhysics, Chemistry, Geology
InstitutionsWilliam and Mary, 8 years
University of Virginia, 19 years
MIT, 13 years
Alma materWilliam and Mary
Known forFounding MIT

William Barton Rogers (1804-1882) is best known for incorporating the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1861.

However, MIT was not opened until 1865, due to the American Civil War.

Rogers attended the College of William and Mary and served as William and Mary's Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry for 8 years from 1828 until 1835 (his father previously held the very same W&M professorship until his death in 1828). He then served as Professor of Natural Philosophy for 19 years (1835 to 1853) at the University of Virginia, and was Chair of the Department of Philosophy at U.Va. when he famously defended the University of Virginia's refusal to award honorary degrees to the Virginia legislature. From there, he went on to found and serve as President of MIT from 1861 to 1870.

Declining health forced him to stand down from this position, but he was forced by necessity to resume office in 1878 and continued to serve through to the year before his death, 1881. He died after having collapsed while giving a speech at MIT's 1882 Commencement Exercises, in which his last words were "bituminous coal".

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Persondata
NAME Rogers, William Barton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American scientist, founder of MIT
DATE OF BIRTH 7 December 1804
PLACE OF BIRTH Virginia
DATE OF DEATH 30 May 1882
PLACE OF DEATH Boston, Massachusetts
it:William Barton Rogers

zh:威廉·巴頓·羅傑斯

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