John Rogers (January 11, 1630 – July 12, 1684) 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 ...

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

minister and academic in early

Colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 1776, during the Re ...

Early life and education

Rogers was born in

Coggeshall Coggeshall ( or ) is a town and civil parish in the Braintree district, in Essex, England, between Braintree and Colchester on the Roman road Stane Street and the River Blackwater. In 2001 it had a population of 3,919. It has almost 300 li ...

, England, the eldest son of minister Nathaniel Rogers. In 1636, he immigrated to

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

with his family. In 1649, at age 19, he earned a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

which, only seven years earlier, in 1642, had graduated its first class of students. In 1652, following an additional three years of study, he received an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

and, in 1660, married Elizabeth Denison of

Ipswich, Massachusetts Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A res ...

Career

Residing in Ipswich and, despite neither having been ordained as a minister or trained as a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

, Rogers practiced medicine and assisted in the ministry of his brother-in-law, local historian William Hubbard, who served as Ipswich pastor for over 50 years.

Harvard College president

In 1682, Rogers was appointed

President of Harvard The president of Harvard University is the chief administrator of Harvard University and the ''ex officio'' president of the Harvard Corporation. Each is appointed by and is responsible to the other members of that body, who delegate to the presi ...

, following the death of

Urian Oakes Urian Oakes (1631 – July 25, 1681) was an English-born American Congregational minister and educator who served as the fourth president of Harvard College. Early life The son of Edward and Jane Oakes, he was born in England in 1631 or 163 ...

. Rogers was not the first choice as successor by the Governing Board of Harvard; first choice

Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects. After being educated at Harvard College, he join ...

could not be released from his pastoral obligations, and a second choice declined, prior to Rogers accepting the position.

minister and author

, Rogers was "sweet-tempered...genuinely pious and a accomplished gentleman given to long winded daily prayers." American historian

Samuel Eliot Morison Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and tau ...

says that Rogers would have "made a successful president", but he only held the position for two years, prior to his sudden death at the age of 54. He was buried at Old Burying Ground in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

References

Harvard History of the President's Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, John 1630 births 1684 deaths Presidents of Harvard University Harvard College alumni People from Coggeshall Burials at Old Burying Ground (Cambridge, Massachusetts)