William Rogers (November 1819 - 19 January 1896) was a Church of England clergyman and educational reformer.[1]
Born in Bloomsbury, he was the son of William Lorance Rogers, a magistrate and barrister of Lincoln's Inn. Rogers was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford, graduating BA in 1842 and MA in 1844.
He entered the University of Durham for theological training, and was ordained a priest and appointed curate of Fulham in 1843. In 1845 he was appointed curate of the impoverished City of London parish St Thomas, Charterhouse. He quickly established a school for street children, the forerunner of the present Central Foundation Boys' School.
In 1863 he became rector of St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate.
In 1858 he was made a member of the Royal Commission on Popular Education. One of the recommendations of the commission was the establishment of elected school boards in England and Wales. When the first London School Board was elected in 1870, Rogers topped the poll as representative of the City of London. He resigned from the board in 1872.
In 1894 the Bishopsgate Institute was opened, which Rogers had done much to found.
References[]
A biography is here Sharon O'Connor. ["http://www.alleyns.org.uk/alleyn/Rev_william_rogers_article.pdf" "William Rogers (1819-1896)"]. Alleyn's School.