John Rankin Rogers

John Rankin Rogers ( born September 4, 1838 in Brunswick, Maine, † December 26, 1901 in Washington ) was an American politician and from 1897 to 1901, the third Governor of the State of Washington.

Early years

Rogers initially trained as a pharmacist. He then worked in various positions before he acquired a farm in Kansas. In Wichita, he acquired the newspaper "Kansas Commoner " in which he initially the Union Labor Party and later the Farmer's Alliance, the party of farmers supported. From this then the Populist Party, which represented mainly the interests of the farmers and the common people arose. After he had to give up his farm, he moved to Puyallup in Washington State, where he went into trade and real estate business. In Washington, he supported the farmers and helped build their party in that State. In 1894 he was elected as a deputy of the party in the state legislature; two years later he was elected as the new governor.

Governor of Washington

Rogers took up his new post on January 11, 1897. As governor, he supported the goals of farmers and the Populist Party, which occurred in some areas also under the name Peoples Party, a. Another focus of his government was the school policy. Here he supported the so-called " School Boy Act", a law that he had already prepared in his time in the State Parliament. It was about the equitable education throughout the state, regardless of the tax revenue of the region. For this purpose, a created compensation system, which provided enough money for the schools available to all parts of the country. Regardless of the governor advocated a strong, commercially focused government. As a supporter of the national idea that time he supported foreign policy, the military expansion. This concerned in his years, especially the Spanish-American War, which broke out in 1898. During the years 1897 to 1899 the city grew Seattle as a starting point for many prospectors who tried their luck in the Klondike Gold Rush, rapidly. in 1899, the Mount Rainier National Park was opened.

After the Populist Party had risen in the late 19th century in the Democratic Party, was also Rogers member of this party, which nominated him in 1900 for re-election. Rogers began his second term in January 1901, but died after less than a year on December 26, 1901. He was married to Sarah Greene, with whom he had six children.