Edmund Dawson Rogers (7 August 1823 – 28 September 1910), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...

. He was the first editor of the

Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to ...

and the founder of the National Press Agency.

Background and education

The son of John and Sarah Rogers, and given the middle name Dawson which was his mother's family name, he was brought up a strict

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and received a classical education at

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a private school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) in Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Baccalaureate schools in England. The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a f ...

, Holt, then was

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

d to a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

Career

In 1845, he went as a surgeon's dispenser to

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

, where he joined the Staffordshire Mercury as a

. In 1848 he was appointed as editor of the struggling

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

newspaper the

Norfolk News The ''Norfolk News'' was a regional weekly newspaper, published every Saturday, in Exchange Street, Norwich, England. History The publication was founded in January, 1845, and ceased publication in 1961. The area it covered was the whole of Nor ...

, and put it on its feet. The proprietors at the time were two future

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

members of parliament,

Jacob Henry Tillett Jacob Henry Tillett (1 November 1818 – 30 January 1892 ) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1870 and 1885. Tillet was born in Norwich, the son of Jacob Tillett and his wife Elizabeth Towle ...

and J. J. Colman. On 10 October 1870, Rogers became the first editor of the ''Eastern Counties Daily Press'', working for the same proprietors, remaining until 1872. In 1871, the paper was renamed the

. In 1873, Rogers moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and at the request of leading members of the Liberal Party established the National Press Agency in Shoe Lane, remaining as manager until he retired in 1894. The National Press Agency had an enormous

scoop Scoop, Scoops or The Scoop may refer to: Artefacts * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (theater), a type of wide area l ...

as part of the Hawarden Kite affair in December 1885, when

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

's son Herbert Gladstone gave Rogers what he said were his father's opinions on

Irish home rule The Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of ...

. In London Rogers also published and edited ''The Tenant Farmer'' (1894–1898) and ''The Free Speaker'' (1873–1874).

Spiritualist

About 1843 Rogers was introduced by Sir Isaac Pitman to the work of

Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (; ; born Emanuel Swedberg; (29 January 168829 March 1772) was a Swedish polymath; scientist, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, Christian theologian, philosopher, and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ...

. He went on to study

mesmerism Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, is a theory invented by German doctor Franz Mesmer in the 18th century. It posits the existence of an invisible natural force (''Lebensmagnetismus'') possessed by all living things, including humans ...

and mesmeric healing. He began to attend

séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French language, French word for "session", from the Old French , "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one ma ...

s in 1869 with various mediums, especially Mrs Thomas Everitt and William Eglinton, and became a

. In 1873 he helped to form the

British National Association of Spiritualists The College of Psychic Studies (founded in 1884 as the London Spiritualist Alliance) is a non-profit organisation based in South Kensington, London. It is dedicated to the study of psychic and spiritualist phenomena. History British National Ass ...

, and in 1881 founded the spiritualist journal ''Light'', which he edited from 1894 until his death in 1910. In 1881–1882 he founded the

Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to condu ...

, with Sir William Barrett. Its early members included

William Stainton Moses William Stainton Moses (1839 – 5 September 1892) was an English cleric and spiritualist medium. He promoted spirit photography and automatic writing, and co-founded what became the College of Psychic Studies. He resisted scientific examinati ...

F. W. H. Myers Frederic William Henry Myers (6 February 1843 – 17 January 1901) was a British poet, classicist, philology, philologist, and a founder of the Society for Psychical Research. Myers' work on Parapsychology, psychical research and his ideas ab ...

Henry Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (; 31 May 1838 – 28 August 1900) was an English Utilitarianism, utilitarian philosopher and economist and is best known in philosophy for his utilitarian treatise ''The Methods of Ethics''. His work in economics has also had a ...

, and

Edmund Gurney Edmund Gurney (23 March 184723 June 1888) was an English psychologist and parapsychologist. At the time the term for research of paranormal activities was "psychical research". Early life Gurney was born at Hersham, near Walton-on-Thames. H ...

, and Rogers was a member of its Council from 1882 to 1885. In 1884, he was a founding member of the

London Spiritualist Alliance The College of Psychic Studies (founded in 1884 as the London Spiritualist Alliance) is a non-profit organisation based in South Kensington, London. It is dedicated to the study of psychic and spiritualist phenomena. History British National Ass ...

, afterwards the College of Psychic Studies, and was its president from 1892 until 1910.

Private life

On 11 July 1843, Rogers married Sophia Jane Hawkes. They had two sons and four daughters. His wife died in 1892. In ''

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

'', Rogers gave his recreation as "Occasional rambles in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

". At the time of his death, his address was Rose Villa, Hendon Lane,

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. north of Charing Cross, nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, London, Whetstone, Mill Hill and Hendon. It is ...

, London N.

Publications

* ''Life and Experiences of Edmund Dawson Rogers, Spiritualist and Journalist'' (autobiography, 1911, new edition by Kessinger Publishing, London, 2004)

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Edmund Dawson 1823 births 1910 deaths English male journalists English spiritualists British parapsychologists People educated at Gresham's School People from Holt, Norfolk