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[[File:Rogers sculpture.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Ceramic sculpture of L. W. Rogers by Lillian Zimmermann]]
[[File:Rogers sculpture.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Ceramic sculpture of L. W. Rogers by Lillian Zimmermann]]


Louis William Rogers was an American lecturer and editor who served as General Secretary of the [[American Theosophical Society]] of the [[Theosophical Society based in Adyar]].
Louis William Rogers was an American lecturer and editor who served from 1920 to 1931 as General Secretary of the [[American Theosophical Society]] of the [[Theosophical Society, Adyar|Theosophical Society based in Adyar]].


== Early life ==
== Early life ==


Louis William Rogers was born in the Midwestern state of Iowa on May 28, 1859. He taught in the public schools of Iowa and Kansas for five years, beginning late in the 1870s.<ref name=Gompers>Stuart B. Kaufman, Peter J. Albert, and Grace Palladino (eds.), ''The Samuel Gompers Papers: Volume 4: A National Labor Movement Takes Shape, 1895-98.'' Urbana, IL: Illinois University Press, 1991; pp. 547-548.</ref>
Louis William Rogers was born in the Midwestern state of Iowa on May 28, 1859. He taught in the public schools of Iowa and Kansas for five years, beginning late in the 1870s.<ref name=Gompers>Stuart B. Kaufman, Peter J. Albert, and Grace Palladino (eds.), ''The Samuel Gompers Papers: Volume 4: A National Labor Movement Takes Shape, 1895-98.'' Urbana, IL: Illinois University Press, 1991: 547-548.</ref>


In the 1880s Rogers became a public lecturer on [[Freethought]] and its underlying philosophical doctrine of [[Rationalism]].<ref name=Gompers /> He took a job as a railway brakeman.<ref name=Gompers />
In the 1880s Rogers became a public lecturer on [[Freethought]] and its underlying philosophical doctrine of [[Rationalism]].  


Despite his move to manual employment, Rogers remained attuned to intellectual pursuits. In 1888 Rogers launched his first newspaper, the ''Railroad Patriot'' of [[St. Joseph, Missouri]].<ref name=Gompers /> The paper proved to be short-lived, terminating publication the following year.<ref name=Gompers />
== Railroad career and union activities ==


With his newspaper having folded, in 1889 Rogers moved to the state of [[Colorado]], where he first became active in the [[Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen]] (BRB) and, from 1890, the [[Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen]] (BRT).<ref name=Gompers /> From 1889 to 1892 he edited the national magazine of the BRB, the ''Railroad Brakemen's Journal,'' adding the editorship of the parallel magazine of the BRT to his occupational portfolio in 1890.<ref name=Gompers /> He also edited the ''Denver Patriot'' and the ''Vona Herald'' in this period.<ref name=Gompers />
Rogers began a railroad career with a job as a brakeman, and went on to edit a series of periodicals related to railroads and their unions. In 1888 Rogers launched a short-lived newspaper, the ''Railroad Patriot'' of St. Joseph, Missouri.<ref name=Gompers /> The next year, he moved to Colorado, where he first became active in the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen and then the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.<ref name=Gompers /> From 1889 to 1892 he edited several periodicals - the ''Railroad Brakemen's Journal'', the ''Denver Patriot'', and the ''Vona Herald''.  Early in the 1890s Rogers returned to the Midwest, moving first to the rail hub of Galesburg, Illinois, then to Chicago, and finally  in 1892 to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He published a new paper, the ''Age of Labor'', which merged in 1893 with ''The Labor Advocate'', a prominent labor newspaper of the day.<ref name=Gompers /> That year he helped to establish the Wisconsin Federation of Labor.<ref name=Gompers />


Early in the 1890s Rogers returned to the Midwest, moving first to [[Galesburg, Illinois]], then to Chicago, and finally  in 1892 to [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin]].<ref name=Gompers /> There Rogers established a new newspaper, the ''Age of Labor,'' which he published and edited until its 1893 merger with ''The Labor Advocate,'' one of the prominent labor newspapers of the day.<ref name=Gompers />
In 1893 Rogers helped to establish the [[Wisconsin Federation of Labor]].<ref name=Gompers />
== Social activism ==
[[File:LW Rogers 6.jpg|170px|right]]
[[File:LW Rogers 6.jpg|170px|right]]


===American Railway Union activities===
===American Railway Union activities===
[[File:WoodstockILCourtHJail.JPG|thumb|right|300px|McHenry County Courthouse and Jail in Woodstock, Illinois as they appear today.]]
As a veteran trade unionist and railway worker, Rogers found the 1894 establishment of the [[American Railway Union]] (ARU) by former [[Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen]] official [[Eugene V. Debs]] to be irresistible — an attempt to create an [[industrial union]] joining workers in the myriad of railway crafts into a centralized and therefore powerful organization. Rogers became active in the ARU, was named to the organization's 7 member Executive Board, and was appointed editor of the organization's weekly newspaper, ''[[Railway Times]].''<ref name=Gompers />


This position as an ARU executive put Rogers in harm's way, however, as a victim of the process set in motion when the U.S. government sought to end the bitter 1894 [[Pullman Strike]] launched by the ARU by means of [[injunction|judicial injunction]].  
In 1894, former Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen official Eugene V. Debs established the American Railway Union (ARU), attempting to create an industrial union that joined all the railway workers in a powerful, centralized organization. Rogers became a member of the ARU's executive board, and was  appointed editor of the organization's weekly newspaper, ''Railway Times''.<ref name=Gompers /> In 1894, the United States Attorney General responded to the ARU's famous Pullman Strike by issuing an injunction ordering the union to cease striking against any train carrying U.S. Mail.<ref>David Ray Papke, ''The Pullman Case: The Clash of Labor and Capital in Industrial America.'' Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999; pg. 40.</ref> L. W. Rogers, Eugene V. Debs, and two other union officials were found to be in contempt of the injunction, and they surrendered to authorities on July 17, 1894. Bail was set at $3,000 each, and  all four ARU officials waived the right to post bail. They were immediately taken to Cook County Jail. Rogers later recalled that the substantial amount set for bail was not the cause of this decision, declaring, "If it was $2, I'd go to jail. This is a mighty test between labor and capital, and we will fight it to the finish."<ref>Quoted in Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pg. 44.</ref> The four were released on July 25.<ref name=Const72>J. Robert Constantine (ed.), ''Letters of Eugene V. Debs: Volume 1, 1874-1912.'' Urbana, IL: Illinois University Press, 1990; pg. 72.</ref> After a trial, the union and its leaders were found guilty of having conducted an illegal strike in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.<ref>Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pp. 49-50.</ref> Rogers was sentenced to three months to be served in McHenry County Jail, which was served from June to August, 1895.<ref>Constantine (ed.), ''Letters of Eugene V. Debs: Vol. 1,'' pg. 98, fn. 9.</ref>


On July 2, 1894, United States Attorney General [[Richard Olney]] and his assistant Edwin Walker instructed Chicago US Attorney Thomas M. Milchrist to file a [[bill in equity]] with the combined US District and Circuit Courts summarizing the harm allegedly done to the railroads and to commerce by the ARU [[strike action|strike]].<ref>David Ray Papke, ''The Pullman Case: The Clash of Labor and Capital in Industrial America.'' Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999; pg. 40.</ref> District Court Judge [[Peter S. Grosscup]] and Circuit Court Judge [[William A. Woods]] actively worked with the petitioner to shape and refine the injunction request, which was granted.<ref>Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pp. 40-41.</ref>
=== Later union activism ===


The judges on that same day ordered that 10,000 copies of their newly granted injunction be printed and distributed by [[federal marshal]]s along the striking railroad lines.<ref name=Papke41>Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pg. 41.</ref> The ARU was thereby ordered to cease and desist interfering with or hindering trains on any involved railroad or any train carrying [[U.S. Mail]].<ref name=Papke41 />
Rogers moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where he worked as an organizer for the American Federation of Labor, and edited another labor newspaper in 1896, the ''Industrial Advocate''.<ref name=Gompers /> In 1897 he returned to Chicago to edit ''The Social Democrat'', the journal of Eugene V. Debs' new politicl party, the Social Democratic Party of America. He also helped to organize Debs' lecture tours for two years.<ref name=Gompers /> He remained involved with the labor movement, serving as President of the Michigan Federation of Labor from 1898 to 1899.<ref name=Gompers />


When the strike was not terminated two weeks after issuance of the injunction, the government returned to court charging that ARU head Gene Debs, Vice President George W. Howard, Secretary [[Sylvester Keliher]], and Editor Rogers were in [[contempt of court]] for failing to abide by the injunction.<ref>Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pg. 42.</ref> This July 17 hearing did not actually find the four to be in contempt, but nevertheless presiding judge William H. Seaman ordered the defendants to be temporarily held pending another hearing on July 23.<ref name=Papke44>Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pg. 44.</ref> Bail was set at $3,000 each.<ref name=Papke44 />
== Lecturing for the Theosophical Society ==


Rogers and his three ARU associates surrendered to authorities the same afternoon that the so-called "body attachment order" was issued.<ref name=Papke44 /> To the surprise of contemporary observers, all four ARU officials waived the right to post bail and were immediately jailed.<ref name=Papke44 /> Rogers later recalled that the substantial amount set for bail was not the cause of this decision, declaring, "If it was $2, I'd go to jail. This is a mighty test between labor and capital, and we will fight it to the finish."<ref>Quoted in Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pg. 44.</ref>
In the 20th Century, Rogers' attention turned to spirituality. Supposedly Eugene V. Debs gave him a book about reincarnation.<ref>??reference needed</ref. In 1903 Rogers joined the [[American Theosophical Society]].<ref name=Quest>Robert Bonnell and Leatrice Kreeger-Bonnell, [http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1509 "Memories of L.W. Rogers,"] ''Quest,'' vol. 92, no. 6 (Nov.-Dec. 2004), pp. 224-226.</ref> He threw himself whole-heartedly into the Theosophical movement, lecturing extensively and publishing numerous books, articles, and pamphlets on [[Reincarnation|reincarnation]], life after death, [[Karma|karma]], and [[Dreams|dreams]], and other matters. A firebrand speaker, Rogers was much in demand as a lecturer. He was elected Vice President in 1918 during the administration of [[A. P. Warrington]], and in 1920 was elected as President (General Secretary).


Owing to an indefinite end to the period of incarceration, this decision was quietly reversed on July 25, 1894, when bail was posted and Debs, Rogers and the other ARU leaders freed from the [[Cook County Jail]].<ref name=Const72>J. Robert Constantine (ed.), ''Letters of Eugene V. Debs: Volume 1, 1874-1912.'' Urbana, IL: Illinois University Press, 1990; pg. 72.</ref> Trial was set to begin on September 5.<ref name=Const72 />
== President of the American Theosophical Society ==
[[File:Rogers at desk 1927.jpg|300px|right|thumb|President L. W. Rogers at desk, 1927. Image from TSA Archives.]]


On December 14, 1894, fully three months after the trial of the ARU had been held, Judge Woods finally issued a lengthy ruling. Wood found the union and its leaders guilty of having conducted an illegal strike in violation of the [[Sherman Anti-Trust Act]].<ref>Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pp. 49-50.</ref>


Debs was sentenced to 6 months in jail as leader of the ARU, while Rogers and the other defendants in the case were sentenced to terms of 3 months.<ref name=Papke50>Papke, ''The Pullman Case,'' pg. 50.</ref> These sentences were not to be served in Chicago's [[Cook County Jail]], but rather in [[McHenry County Jail]] in neighboring [[Woodstock, Illinois]].<ref name=Papke50 /> These sentences were served, starting in June 1895, with Rogers and the other 5 members of the ARU Executive Board gaining their release on August 22.<ref>Constantine (ed.), ''Letters of Eugene V. Debs: Vol. 1,'' pg. 98, fn. 9.</ref> Debs was released three months later. Additional civil penalties were assessed against the union.


===Later labor activism===


Upon his release, the ARU having been effectively crushed in the failed Pullman strike, Rogers moved to [[Pueblo, Colorado]], where he worked as an organizer for the [[American Federation of Labor]].<ref name=Gompers /> He also edited yet another labor newspaper in 1896, the ''Industrial Advocate.''<ref name=Gompers />


With the launch of the [[Social Democratic Party of America]] in 1897, an organization springing in large part from activists loyal to Gene Debs and his ARU, Rogers became involved in the affairs of that organization. He returned to Chicago to edit the new political party's official organ, ''The Social Democrat'' for a time, and helped to manage the massive speaking tours of Debs, one of the renowned [[orator]]s of the day, for the next two years.<ref name=Gompers />


While remaining involved in socialist politics, Rogers remained a participant in the economic labor movement as well, serving as President of the [[Michigan Federation of Labor]] from 1898 to 1899.<ref name=Gompers />
== Later years ==
 
 
== Lecturing for the Theosophical Society ==
 
In the 20th Century, Rogers turned his attention to a new interest, [[mysticism]] and [[theosophy]]. In 1903 Rogers joined the [[Theosophical Society in America]] (TSA).<ref name=Quest>Robert Bonnell and Leatrice Kreeger-Bonnell, [http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1509 "Memories of L.W. Rogers,"] ''Quest,'' vol. 92, no. 6 (Nov.-Dec. 2004), pp. 224-226.</ref> Rogers was soon absorbed by the Theosophical movement, lecturing extensively and publishing numerous books and [[pamphlet]]s on [[reincarnation]], [[afterlife|life after death]], [[karma]], and sundry matters of [[idealism|philosophical idealism]].
 
As one of the most prominent American exponents of esoteric mysticism, Rogers would be elected Vice President of the TSA in 1918, serving in that capacity until 1920, when he would ascend to the Presidency of that organization.<ref name=Gompers /> Rogers would remain as President of the Theosophical Society for more than a decade, standing down in 1931.<ref name=Gompers />


Following his time at the helm of the TSA, Rogers served as the editor of two of the organization's periodicals — ''Ancient Wisdom,'' which he edited from 1935 to 1936, and ''The Voice,'' from 1951 to 1952.<ref name=Gompers />
Following his time at the helm of the TSA, Rogers served as the editor of two of the organization's periodicals — ''Ancient Wisdom,'' which he edited from 1935 to 1936, and ''The Voice,'' from 1951 to 1952.<ref name=Gompers />
== President of the American Theosophical Society ==
[[File:Rogers at desk 1927.jpg|300px|right|thumb|President L. W. Rogers at desk, 1927. Image from TSA Archives.]]
== Later years ==
[edit]Death and legacy


Louis Rogers died in 1953.
Louis Rogers died in 1953.




== Writings ==
== Writings about Theosophy ==


* ''The Evidence for Theosophy: A Lecture.'' Harrogate: Theosophical Publishing Committee, 1906.
* ''The Evidence for Theosophy: A Lecture.'' Harrogate: Theosophical Publishing Committee, 1906.

Revision as of 21:48, 30 April 2012

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LW Rogers 2.jpg
Ceramic sculpture of L. W. Rogers by Lillian Zimmermann

Louis William Rogers was an American lecturer and editor who served from 1920 to 1931 as General Secretary of the American Theosophical Society of the Theosophical Society based in Adyar.

Early life

Louis William Rogers was born in the Midwestern state of Iowa on May 28, 1859. He taught in the public schools of Iowa and Kansas for five years, beginning late in the 1870s.[1]

In the 1880s Rogers became a public lecturer on Freethought and its underlying philosophical doctrine of Rationalism.

Railroad career and union activities

Rogers began a railroad career with a job as a brakeman, and went on to edit a series of periodicals related to railroads and their unions. In 1888 Rogers launched a short-lived newspaper, the Railroad Patriot of St. Joseph, Missouri.[1] The next year, he moved to Colorado, where he first became active in the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen and then the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.[1] From 1889 to 1892 he edited several periodicals - the Railroad Brakemen's Journal, the Denver Patriot, and the Vona Herald. Early in the 1890s Rogers returned to the Midwest, moving first to the rail hub of Galesburg, Illinois, then to Chicago, and finally in 1892 to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He published a new paper, the Age of Labor, which merged in 1893 with The Labor Advocate, a prominent labor newspaper of the day.[1] That year he helped to establish the Wisconsin Federation of Labor.[1]

LW Rogers 6.jpg

American Railway Union activities

In 1894, former Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen official Eugene V. Debs established the American Railway Union (ARU), attempting to create an industrial union that joined all the railway workers in a powerful, centralized organization. Rogers became a member of the ARU's executive board, and was appointed editor of the organization's weekly newspaper, Railway Times.[1] In 1894, the United States Attorney General responded to the ARU's famous Pullman Strike by issuing an injunction ordering the union to cease striking against any train carrying U.S. Mail.[2] L. W. Rogers, Eugene V. Debs, and two other union officials were found to be in contempt of the injunction, and they surrendered to authorities on July 17, 1894. Bail was set at $3,000 each, and all four ARU officials waived the right to post bail. They were immediately taken to Cook County Jail. Rogers later recalled that the substantial amount set for bail was not the cause of this decision, declaring, "If it was $2, I'd go to jail. This is a mighty test between labor and capital, and we will fight it to the finish."[3] The four were released on July 25.[4] After a trial, the union and its leaders were found guilty of having conducted an illegal strike in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.[5] Rogers was sentenced to three months to be served in McHenry County Jail, which was served from June to August, 1895.[6]

Later union activism

Rogers moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where he worked as an organizer for the American Federation of Labor, and edited another labor newspaper in 1896, the Industrial Advocate.[1] In 1897 he returned to Chicago to edit The Social Democrat, the journal of Eugene V. Debs' new politicl party, the Social Democratic Party of America. He also helped to organize Debs' lecture tours for two years.[1] He remained involved with the labor movement, serving as President of the Michigan Federation of Labor from 1898 to 1899.[1]

Lecturing for the Theosophical Society

In the 20th Century, Rogers' attention turned to spirituality. Supposedly Eugene V. Debs gave him a book about reincarnation.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag He threw himself whole-heartedly into the Theosophical movement, lecturing extensively and publishing numerous books, articles, and pamphlets on reincarnation, life after death, karma, and dreams, and other matters. A firebrand speaker, Rogers was much in demand as a lecturer. He was elected Vice President in 1918 during the administration of A. P. Warrington, and in 1920 was elected as President (General Secretary).

President of the American Theosophical Society

President L. W. Rogers at desk, 1927. Image from TSA Archives.




Later years

Following his time at the helm of the TSA, Rogers served as the editor of two of the organization's periodicals — Ancient Wisdom, which he edited from 1935 to 1936, and The Voice, from 1951 to 1952.[1]

Louis Rogers died in 1953.


Writings about Theosophy

  • The Evidence for Theosophy: A Lecture. Harrogate: Theosophical Publishing Committee, 1906.
  • The Occultism in Shakespeare's Plays. New York: Theosophical Book Co., 1909.
  • Occultism as a Factor in Civilization: A Lecture on the Two Phases of Human Evolution Represented in the Civilization of the Occident and the Orient. Ridgewood, NJ: Theosophical Book Company, 1910.
  • The Hidden Side of Evolution: A Lecture on the Reasonableness of the Existence of a Spiritual Hierarchy and the Guidance of Human Evolution. Chicago: L.W. Rogers, n.d. [c. 1910s].
  • What Theosophy Is. Chicago: National Publicity Department, Theosophical Society, 1910.
  • Soul Powers and Possibilities: A Lecture on Some of the Methods of Nature in Evolving Latent Powers and Faculties in Human Beings. Los Angeles: Theosophical Book Concern, 1910.
  • Karma: Nature's Law of Justice: A Lecture on the Law of Cause and Effect as Operating in Some of the Affairs of Love. Los Angeles: Theosophical Book Concern, n.d. [c. 1910s].
  • Hints to Young Students of Occultism. Los Angeles: Theosophical Book Concern, 1915.
  • The Inspired Life. Los Angeles: L.W. Rogers, 1915.
  • Self Development and the Way to Power. Los Angeles: L.W. Rogers, 1916.
  • Elementary Theosophy. Los Angeles: Theosophical Book Concern, 1917.
  • The Life Sublime. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., 1917.
  • Reincarnation from the Scientific Viewpoint: A Lecture. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., 1917.
  • Reincarnation: Do We Life on Earth Again? Chicago : National Publicity Dept., Theosophical Society, 1917.
  • The Logic of Reincarnation: A Lecture. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., 1918.
  • Beyond the Border: A Lecture. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., 1918.
  • Occultism as a Factor in Civilization: A Lecture. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., 1918.
  • Scientific Evidence of Future Life: A Lecture. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., 1918.
  • The Invisible World About Us: A Lecture on the Unseen Regions Beyond the Grasp of the Physical Senses and the Life We Live After Bodily Death. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., 1918.
  • Australian War Speeches and the Soldier Dead. Chicago: Theosophical Book Co., c. 1918.
  • Dreams and Premonitions. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1923.
  • Theosophical Questions Answered. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1924.
  • Gods in the Making, and Other Lectures. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1925.
  • The Purpose of Life, and Other Lectures. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1925.
  • The Soldier Dead; and A Scientific Religion. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1925.
  • Universal Brotherhood. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1925.
  • Hints to Students of Occultism. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1931.
  • The Coming Civilization. Chicago: Theo Book Co., 1934.
  • Olcott Manual: First Series: Theosophy, Religion, Science, Philosophy. With Annie Besant. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1934.
  • Reincarnation, and Other Lectures. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, n.d. [1940s].
  • The Ghosts in Shakespeare: A Study of the Occultism in the Shakespeare Plays. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1949.
  • Man: An Embryo God, and Other Lectures. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1950.
  • Karma: The Law of Human Destiny. New York : Philosophers Book Shop, n.d.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Stuart B. Kaufman, Peter J. Albert, and Grace Palladino (eds.), The Samuel Gompers Papers: Volume 4: A National Labor Movement Takes Shape, 1895-98. Urbana, IL: Illinois University Press, 1991: 547-548.
  2. ↑ David Ray Papke, The Pullman Case: The Clash of Labor and Capital in Industrial America. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999; pg. 40.
  3. ↑ Quoted in Papke, The Pullman Case, pg. 44.
  4. ↑ J. Robert Constantine (ed.), Letters of Eugene V. Debs: Volume 1, 1874-1912. Urbana, IL: Illinois University Press, 1990; pg. 72.
  5. ↑ Papke, The Pullman Case, pp. 49-50.
  6. ↑ Constantine (ed.), Letters of Eugene V. Debs: Vol. 1, pg. 98, fn. 9.
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