Lebbeus Harding Rogers (1847–1932) was an American inventor and businessman from

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. Rogers was the founder of Mount Morris Bank in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan ...

. and the inventor of the system of burying utilities underground in flexible tubing. Roger held over 50

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

s and was the author of four books. In 1870, Rogers founded the Rogers Manifold Carbon Paper Company in New York City, the first company in America, and possibly in the world, to produce

carbon paper Carbon paper (originally carbonic paper) consists of sheets of paper that create one or more copies simultaneously with the creation of an original document when inscribed by a typewriter or ballpoint pen. The email term cc which means "carbon ...

, even before the advent of typewriters. A good friend of inventor

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...

, Rogers turned down an offer to purchase a tenth share of Bell's telephone patent, which would have ultimately made Rogers a very rich man. Rogers died in his home in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

on December 16, 1932.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Lebbeus Harding 1847 births 1932 deaths 19th-century American inventors 20th-century American inventors