| Paul Rogers | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 6th, 9th and 11th district |
|
| In office January 4, 1955 – January 3, 1979 |
|
| Succeeded by | Daniel A. Mica |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 4, 1921 Ocilla, Georgia |
| Died | October 13, 2008 (aged 87) Washington D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Bell |
| Alma mater | University of Florida College of Law |
| Profession | Law |
| Religion | Methodist |
Paul Grant Rogers (June 4, 1921 – October 13, 2008) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Florida. A Democrat, Rogers served in the U.S. House of Representatives as the member from Florida's 11th congressional district. He was chairman of Research!America from 1996 to 2005.[1]
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Rogers was born in Ocilla, Georgia, on June 4, 1921. He attended the University of Florida, where he was President of Florida Blue Key and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942. After graduating he joined the U.S. Army, serving in World War II from 1942 to 1946 during which he rose to the rank of Major and received a Bronze Star Medal.[1] Rogers attended The George Washington University Law School but did not graduate there, receiving his law degree instead at the University of Florida College of Law in 1948. Rogers worked as a lawyer in private practice and was a member of the board of directors for Merck & Co. and Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York.
He was elected as a Democrat to the 84th Congress in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father, Dwight L. Rogers. Rogers served for and reelected to the eleven succeeding congresses, for 24 years from January 4, 1955, to January 3, 1979. He chose not to run for reelection to the 96th 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 the National Cancer Act of 1971, the Medical 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 the Clean Air Act of 1970.
Rogers was a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida and a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Hogan & 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.[2] After suffering from lung cancer and undergoing an operation, Rogers died of the disease in Washington D.C. on October 13, 2008, at a rehabilitation hospital.[3]
In June 2001, by an act of Congress, the main plaza at the National Institutes of Health was named in his honor.[6] Recently, Research!America established the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, which honors Rogers' dedication to the health care policy and advocacy.[7]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dwight L. Rogers |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 6th congressional district 1955-1967 |
Succeeded by Sam M. Gibbons |
| Preceded by Don Fuqua |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 9th congressional district 1967-1973 |
Succeeded by Louis Frey, Jr. |
| Preceded by Claude Pepper |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 11th congressional district 1973-1979 |
Succeeded by Daniel A. Mica |