Edmund Dawson Rogers (7 August 1823 – 28 September 1910), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and

spiritualist Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century The ''long nineteenth century'' i ...

. He was the first editor of the Eastern Daily Press and the founder of the National Press Agency.

Background and education

The son of John and Sarah Rogers, and given the middle name Dawson which was his mother's family name, he was brought up a strict

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

and received a classical education at

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Bac ...

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

, then was

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

d to a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

Career

In 1845, he went as a surgeon's dispenser to

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

, where he joined the

Staffordshire Mercury The ''Staffordshire Mercury'' was a weekly regional newspaper published in Staffordshire, England. The publication was founded in 1824 by Thomas Allbut, with the Rev. Leonard Abington as its first editor. It was later renamed ''The Potteries Merc ...

as a

. In 1848 he was appointed as editor of the struggling

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

newspaper the

Norfolk News The ''Norfolk News'' was a regional weekly newspaper, published every Saturday, in Exchange Street, Norwich, England. The publication was founded in January, 1845, and ceased publication in 1961. The area it covered was the whole of Norfolk. Copi ...

, and put it on its feet. The proprietors at the time were two future

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

members of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Jacob Henry Tillett Jacob Henry Tillett (1 November 1818 – 30 January 1892 ) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1870 and 1885. Tillet was born in Norwich, the son of Jacob Tillett and his wife Elizabeth Towle ...

and J. J. Colman. On 10 October 1870, Rogers became the first editor of the ''Eastern Counties Daily Press'', working for the same proprietors, remaining until 1872. In 1871, the paper was renamed the Eastern Daily Press. In 1873, Rogers moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and at the request of leading members of the Liberal Party established the National Press Agency in Shoe Lane, remaining as manager until he retired in 1894. The National Press Agency had an enormous scoop as part of the

Hawarden Kite The Hawarden Kite was a famous British newspaper scoop of December 1885, that Liberal Party leader William Gladstone now supported home rule for Ireland. It was an instance of "kite-flying", made by Herbert Gladstone, son of the Leader of the Oppos ...

affair in December 1885, when

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

's son Herbert Gladstone gave Rogers what he said were his father's opinions on

Irish home rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for Devolution, self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1 ...

. In London Rogers also published and edited ''The Tenant Farmer'' (1894–1898) and ''The Free Speaker'' (1873–1874).

Spiritualist

About 1843 Rogers was introduced by

Sir Isaac Pitman Sir Isaac Pitman (4 January 1813 – 22 January 1897) was a teacher of the :English language who developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in ''Stenographic Soundhand'' in 183 ...

to the work of Swedenborg. He went on to study

mesmerism Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, was a protoscientific theory developed by German doctor Franz Mesmer in the 18th century in relation to what he claimed to be an invisible natural force (''Lebensmagnetismus'') possessed by all livi ...

and mesmeric healing. He began to attend séances in 1869 with various mediums, especially Mrs Thomas Everitt and

William Eglinton William Eglinton (1857–1933), also known as William Eglington was a British spiritualist medium who was exposed as a fraud.Hereward Carrington. (1907). ''The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism''. Herbert B. Turner & Co. pp. 84–90 Massimo Pol ...

, and became a

. In 1873 he helped to form the British National Association of Spiritualists, and in 1881 founded the spiritualist journal ''Light'', which he edited from 1894 until his death in 1910. In 1881–1882 he founded the Society for Psychical Research, with Sir William Barrett. Its early members included William Stainton Moses, F. W. H. Myers, Henry Sidgwick, and

Edmund Gurney Edmund Gurney (23 March 184723 June 1888) was an England, English psychologist and parapsychologist. At the time the term for research of paranormal activities was "psychical research". Early life Gurney was born at Hersham, near Walton-on-Tham ...

, and Rogers was a member of its Council from 1882 to 1885. In 1884, he was a founding member of the London Spiritualist Alliance, afterwards the College of Psychic Studies, and was its president from 1892 until 1910.

Private life

On 11 July 1843, Rogers married Sophia Jane Hawkes. They had two sons and four daughters. His wife died in 1892. In ''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...

'', Rogers gave his recreation as "Occasional rambles in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

". At the time of his death, his address was Rose Villa, Hendon Lane,

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...

, London N.

Publications

* ''Life and Experiences of Edmund Dawson Rogers, Spiritualist and Journalist'' (autobiography, 1911, new edition by Kessinger Publishing, London, 2004)

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Edmund Dawson 1823 births 1910 deaths English male journalists English spiritualists Parapsychologists People educated at Gresham's School People from Holt, Norfolk