Paul Rogers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida | |
| In office January 11, 1955 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Dwight L. Rogers |
| Succeeded by | Daniel A. Mica |
| Constituency | 6th district (1955–1967) 9th district (1967–1973) 11th district (1973–1979) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1921-06-04)June 4, 1921 Ocilla, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 2008(2008-10-13) (aged 87) Washington D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Rebecca Bell |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Dwight L. Rogers Sr. Florence Roberts |
| Alma mater | University of Florida College of Law |
Paul Grant Rogers (June 4, 1921 – October 13, 2008) was an American lawyer and politician who served as aDemocratic member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida from 1955 to 1979, succeeding his father,Dwight L. Rogers. He was chairman of Research America from 1996 to 2005.[1]
During his tenure inCongress, Rogers supportedracial segregation in the United States.[2][3][4]
Rogers was born inOcilla, Georgia, on June 4, 1921, the middle of three sons, toDwight Laing Rogers Sr., an attorney andU.S. congressman, and Florence Rogers (née Roberts). His brothers were Dwight L. Rogers Jr. (1917-2007) and Doyle Rogers (1928-2016), who were both attorneys inPalm Beach, Florida.[5][6]
He attended theUniversity of Florida, where he was President ofFlorida Blue Key and graduated with aBachelor of Artsdegree in 1942. After graduating he joined theU.S. Army, serving inWorld War II from 1942 to 1946 during which he rose to the rank ofMajor and received aBronze Star Medal.[1] Rogers attendedGeorge Washington University Law School but did not graduate there, receiving hislaw degree instead at theUniversity of Florida College of Law in 1948. Rogers worked as a lawyer in private practice and was a member of theboard of directors forMerck & Co. andMutual Life Insurance Co. of New York.
He was elected as a Democrat to the84th Congress in aspecial election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father,Dwight L. Rogers. Rogers served for and was reelected to the eleven succeeding congresses, for 24 years from January 11, 1955, to January 3, 1979. He chose not to run for reelection to the96th Congress. While a member of the House, Rogers served as chair of the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment from 1971 to 1979. Nicknamed "Mr. Health," he was a key representative behind the adoption of theNational Cancer Act of 1971, theMedical Device Amendments of 1976, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Emergency Medical Service Act, the Medicare-Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments of 1977 and theClean Air Act of 1970.
He was a signatory to the 1956Southern Manifesto that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court inBrown v. Board of Education. Rogers voted against theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[2]1960,[3]1964,[4] and1968,[7] but voted in favor of theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[8]
Rogers was a resident ofWest Palm Beach, Florida, and apartner in theWashington, D.C., office ofHogan & Hartson. He was also active in the National Osteoporosis Foundation, Friends of the National Library of Medicine, and the National Leadership Coalition on Health Care (now the National Coalition on Health Care).
Mark Foley has said that a meeting with Rogers when Foley was three years old inspired him to go into politics.[9] After suffering fromlung cancer and undergoing an operation, Rogers died of the disease in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 2008, at a rehabilitation hospital.[10]
Rogers was married to Rebecca Bell. They had one daughter;
In June 2001, by an act of Congress, the main plaza at theNational Institutes of Health was named in his honor.[15] Recently, Research America established the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, which honors Rogers' dedication to the health care policy and advocacy.[16]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 6th congressional district 1955–1967 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 9th congressional district 1967–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 11th congressional district 1973–1979 | Succeeded by |
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