James Foote Rogers
Biography and Photo courtesy of Andrew Pestle
James Foote Rogers was born to Dr. James and Jennie Rogers in Sedalia, Missouri, on January 5th, 1888. He had just one sibling, an older brother who died in infancy, and thus James was raised as an only child. His father was a medical doctor and American Civil War veteran who had served as an assistant surgeon with the 45th Missouri Infantry. James excelled in school, graduating from high school in about 1906, and subsequently enrolling at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He was active in the Phi Alpha Delta fraternity during college and graduated from Law School in 1911.
James then returned to his hometown of Sedalia and soon opened his own law practice. He appears to have been successful in his work, and eventually began courting a local woman named Frances Truitt. Following the outbreak of war in 1917, James chose to serve his country and enrolled in the student officer training program. He received a 2nd Lieutenant's commission on April 3rd, 1918, and married Frances just six days later while stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
The couple unfortunately had little time to celebrate their new union, as James was assigned as an officer with Company "D" of the 138th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division. Lt. Rogers sailed to France aboard the SS Leicestershire on May 5th, 1918, and was soon commanding men along the Western Front. The 35th Division entered the Alsace Region in June and received additional overseas training from French advisors. It appears that the 138th Infantry experienced sporadic fighting during this period and conducted several trench raids against their German counterparts. Missouri WW1 information shows that Lt. Rogers was wounded in action on August 21st; presumably in the Gerardmer Sector.
It appears that this injury resulted in James being evacuated behind the lines and requiring several months to recuperate in an AEF medical facility. This photograph is dated November 6th, 1918, and is recorded as having been taken at the port city of Bordeaux. Note the wound chevron visible on James' uniform, along with the elaborately carved "bird head" souvenir cane. Of interest, Lt. Rogers returned to his regiment after the Armistice, and arrived back in the United States aboard the USS Aeolus on April 27th, 1919, as an officer with Company "K" of the 138th Infantry. He received an honorable discharge on May 12th and was soon reunited with his wife in Sedalia.
Frances became pregnant in 1923, but tragedy struck when she and the baby died on December 17th from complications from a premature delivery. James also lost his parents in the subsequent years, and it appears that he chose to restart his life by moving to California in the late 1920's. He eventually settled in Sonoma County, remarried in 1936, and worked as a public accountant. The second marriage did not produce any children, but James remained active with the American Legion, American Philatelic Society, and Scottish Rite Freemasonry. He died at the age of 85 years on February 4th, 1973, and his remains were subsequently cremated and interred within a niche at the Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery and Mausoleum of Santa Rosa, California.