Edmund Law Rogers (July 1, 1850 – December 19, 1893), also known under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Leslie Edmunds, was a stage actor who appeared in dramas such as ''

The Octoroon ''The Octoroon'' is a play by Dion Boucicault that opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre, New York City. Extremely popular, the play was kept running continuously for years by seven road companies. Among antebellum melodramas, it was con ...

''. He is also a founding father of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

.https://kappasigma.org/edmund-law-rogers/ "Kappa Sigma Website"

Early life

Rogers was born 1 July 1850 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

to a prominent Maryland family. He was a descendant of Martha Washington (great-great-great grandmother) and

Elizabeth Parke Custis Law Elizabeth (Eliza) Parke Custis Law (August 21, 1776 – December 31, 1831)"Obituary: Elizabeth Parke Custis Law", ''Richmond Enquirer'', 3 January 1832 was the eldest granddaughter of Martha Dandridge Washington and a step-grandchild of George Was ...

(great-grandmother). The family estate, Druid Hill, today is one of the largest city parks in North America. Rogers prepared for college at the James Kinner Academy in Baltimore, where founder Frank Courtney Nicodemus was one of his classmates. As with George Miles Arnold, Rogers entered the University of Virginia as a first-year student in 1869. He succeed Arnold as Grand Master of Zeta Chapter. Rogers studied architecture and also developed an interest in acting. His graphic talent is apparent in the badge of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, which Rogers designed.

Career

Eventually his interest in acting turned into a career in the theater in 1880. Rogers was a popular lead and supporting actor for productions of the time. He was quick of wit and possessed enormous charm. Rogers died 19 December 1893; he was buried in his family's cemetery, the Rogers-Buchanan Family Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland in Druid Hill.

Personal life

Rogers, who married Charlotte Matilda Leeds, died on December 19, 1893.

References

External links

* Male actors from Baltimore American male stage actors Kappa Sigma founders 1850 births 1893 deaths 19th-century American male actors {{US-theat-actor-stub