William Barton Rogers Endowed Professorship in Physics
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Memorial Honor
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Memorial Honor
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William Barton Rogers
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William Barton Rogers Endowed Professorship in Physics
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William Barton Rogers taught natural philosophy and chemistry at UVA from 1835 to 1853. By 1840, Rogers had purchased at least two enslaved individuals, and census records indicate that he enslaved at least six people by 1850. The labor of these individuals supported his household at UVA and freed his time for academic work, publications, and teaching.
After leaving UVA, Rogers went on to found the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is widely remembered for his contributions to science and higher education. However, his legacy at UVA remains closely tied to the history of slavery through the William Barton Rogers Endowed Professorship in Physics.
According to UVA’s list of endowed professorships, the chair was created to honor Rogers’ scientific achievements and long-standing connection to the university. The endowed professorship was approved by the Board of Visitors April 9, 1965. Naming a professorship after Rogers, although honoring his scholarship and academic leadership in the physical sciences, nonetheless represents a legacy of slavery, as he participated in human bondage while living in the South. Evenin the 1850s, while serving as President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he publicly advocated for leaving slavery untouched where it then existed.
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University of Virginia Board of Visitors
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April 9, 1965
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The University of Virginia
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