Horatio Rogers Jr. (May 18, 1836 – November 12, 1904) was an American lawyer, judge, and

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He was the

Attorney General of Rhode Island The Attorney General of Rhode Island is the chief legal advisor of the Government of the State of Rhode Island and oversees the State of Rhode Island Department of Law. The attorney general is elected every four years. The current Attorney Gene ...

from 1864 to 1867 and again from 1888 to 1889. From 1891 to 1903, he served as an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

Early life and family

Rogers was born on May 18, 1836, in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He was the son of Susan (née Curtis) and Horatio Rogers Sr., and had an older brother, John Henry, who became an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

priest. He attended

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

as an undergraduate, before going on to earn his

Legum Doctor Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

elsewhere.

Civil War

During the

, Rogers first served as a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of the

3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment was a heavy artillery regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. History The 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment was initially organized in Providence, Rhode Island as t ...

, then as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the 11th Rhode Island Infantry, and finally as a colonel and

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the

2nd Rhode Island Infantry The 2nd Rhode Island Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment composed of volunteers from the state of Rhode Island that served with the Union Army in the American Civil War. They, along with the 1st Rhode Island, wore a very simple uniform ...

. He commanded the 2nd Rhode Island at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

. After the battle, he wrote, "Death seemed to be holding a carnival." He resigned from the Army on January 14, 1864. On March 13, 1865, he was

brevetted In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

US Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

, for "gallant and meritorious service during the war."

Law career

After returning from the war, Rogers became a prominent lawyer and

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

. In 1864, he ran for

. He was nominated on March 15, 1864, by the Rhode Island National Union (

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

) Convention. On election day on April 6, won with 96% of the vote, receiving 10,395 votes against Walter S. Burges' 284 and 123 other votes. He served until 1867 and again from 1888 to 1889. He also worked as a partner in his manufacturing company of his father-in-law,

James Y. Smith James Youngs Smith (September 15, 1809 – March 26, 1876) was an American politician and the 29th Governor of Rhode Island (May 26, 1863 – May 29, 1866). Early life Smith was born in Poquonock Village in Groton, Connecticut, to Amos D. Smith ...

. In 1891, he was appointed to a newly created seat as an

of the

, serving until 1903.

Death

Rogers died on November 12, 1904, aged 68. He was buried in

Swan Point Cemetery Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments. History The cemetery was first organi ...

in Providence, with both of his wives buried on either side.

Personal life

Rogers was married twice. His first wife, Lucia Waterman, died in 1867, and the couple had Arthur, who became an Episcopal priest and died in 1938, and Lucian Waterman, who died in 1927. His second wife, Emily Priscilla Smith, was the daughter of

, who was

Mayor of Providence The following is a list of mayors of Providence, Rhode Island. Originally the term for the mayor was one year, from June to June. In 1873, the term was lengthened to January, and then from January to January. In 1913, the term was lengthened to tw ...

and

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, o ...

. In 1864, Rogers and Smith had one child, Emily Priscilla Smith Rogers. The Rogers family lived in a Queen Anne style house at 264 Bowen Street in Providence. It was built for Rogers in 1887 to a design by noted Providence architect

Alpheus C. Morse Alpheus C. Morse (1818-1893)Alfred Stone, "Alpheus Carey Morse F. A. I. A.," American Architect and Building News' 42, no. 937 (December 9, 1893): 126-127. was an American architect with offices in Providence, Rhode Island. Life and career Alph ...

.William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, ''Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources'', ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986)

Works

In addition to his legal profession, Rogers was a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

and authored several books during his lifetime. His best-known work was ''Private Libraries of Providence'', which included sketches and descriptions of libraries in Providence homes, at a time when common access to libraries was uncommon. In addition to information on his own library, the book contained entries on the private libraries of some of Rhode Island's most prominent citizens, including

John Russell Bartlett John Russell Bartlett (October 23, 1805 – May 28, 1886) was an American historian and linguist. Biography Bartlett was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 23, 1805. In 1819 he was a student at the Lowville Academy in Lowville, New Y ...

Royal C. Taft Royal Chapin Taft Sr. (February 14, 1823June 4, 1912) was a US politician and businessman, whose served as the 39th Governor of Rhode Island, Governor of Rhode Island from 1888 to 1889. He was a member of the Taft family, Taft political family; ...

, and

John Carter Brown John Carter Brown II (1797 – June 11, 1874) was a book collector whose library formed the basis of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. Early life John Carter Brown II was born in 1797, the youngest of three surviving children bo ...

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

. They are listed as follows: * * * * *

References