Fairman Rogers

Who was Fairman Rogers?

Fairman Rogers was an American civil engineer, educator, and philanthropist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Rogers graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1853, and taught civil engineering there from 1855 to 1871. He was one of four professors who founded its Department of Mines, Arts and Manufacturers, and he served as a University Trustee. As an undergraduate, he had been a founding member of its Zeta Psi Fraternity, Sigma Chapter.

He was elected to the American Philosophical Society, was a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences, and a charter member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was the author of Terrestrial Magnetism and the Magnetism of Iron Ships.

Rogers served in the Union Cavalry during the American Civil War, and on the engineering staffs of General John F. Reynolds and General William F. Smith. As a volunteer officer in the United States Army Corps of Engineers, he completed an 1862 survey of the Potomac River. As a member of the Pennsylvania militia, he fought at Antietam and Gettysburg.

He was one of the founders of the Union League of Philadelphia. He was a member of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry and, following the war, was elected its captain.