Jacob S. Rogers (c. 1824 – 2 July 1901) was an American businessman.
Biography
He was the son of Thomas Rogers, the founder of Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor.
When Thomas Rogers died in 1856, Jacob took over the business and reorganized it as
Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works
Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, New Jersey, Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. Between its founding in 1832 and its acq ...
and served as the company's president. The company eventually became the second most popular
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
manufacturer in North America. Jacob Rogers was involved in an accident where he was struck by a
cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems:
* Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable
** Aerial tramway
** Chairlift
** Gondola lift
*** ...
on Broadway in New York on February 9, 1899; his injuries were not life-threatening and he was treated at the Astor House.
Upon Rogers' death in 1901, he bequeathed the majority of his fortune, amounting to $8 million, to the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
in New York City. The Museum continues to acquire art works in his name through the "Jacob S. Rogers Fund."
Rogers is buried in the family plot at
Cedar Lawn Cemetery
Cedar Lawn Cemetery is a Victorian rural cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey. Cedar Lawn Cemetery officially opened in September 1867, and recorded its first burial on September 27, 1867.
Location
Cedar Lawn is located on a multi-acre plot bord ...