Who Is Will Rogers?

Who Is
Will Rogers?

During the 1920's and early 1930's, Will Rogers was the best known American in the world and the most loved in the United States.

The news of his death in August of 1935 from a plane crash in Alaska was flashed around the world.

This Indian cowboy from Oklahoma charmed and entertained presidents and kings, millionaires, movie stars, and just plain folks, but he never lost the common touch.

His news columns, carried by more than 350 newspapers, were read at breakfast tables throughout the land. He was the highest paid radio speaker, led in the Hollywood box office in 1934, and was much sought after as a public speaker, and was the author of six books.

Author-journalist Damon Runyon said Will Rogers was "America's most accomplished human document. One-third humor. One-third humanitarian. One-third heart."

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Will Rogers was born in 1879 in Oologah, Indian Territory, known as the Cherokee Nation, a government and a country within the United States. His father, Clem, was active in tribal government, and served as a judge and Senator in the Cooweescoowee district. Clem was a member of the Constitutional Convention when Oklahoma became a state. Rogers County was named for him, not Will, as many people believe. Will's mother was Mary America Schrimsher, a descendent of Chief O-Loo-Tsa.

Will loved his mother dearly, loved to stand by the piano as she played, and sang with her while she played for company in their happy home. Yet, it thrilled him to be with the boys on the ranch and on the back of a horse. At home, his mother read history and humanities books to Will and taught him manners. He could read and write before he entered school. She taught him to teach himself. When Will was ten years old, his mother died of typhoid. He once said, "My folks have told me that what little humor I have comes from her. I can't remember her humor, but I can remember her love and understanding of me.

Young Will Rogers was fascinated by the lariat. He learned how to rope from one of his father's employees on the ranch. The love of show business and roping brought him to be with Mulhall's Wild West Show and later with Texas Jack's Wild West Show. He loved the applause of the crowd and was one of the most popular entertainers in the show. His talents with the rope, his love for handling horses, and singing with the group went over with the audience. He was billed as "The Cherokee Kid".

Will worked out a routine in which he roped a horse and rider on stage, performing in St. Louis, Chicago, and New York. During the next ten years, he became a headline in vaudeville.

The roping tricks brought Will to the stage, but it was his dry wit with the Oklahoma drawl that took him to the stage of the popular Ziegfeld Follies in 1915. The sophisticates of New York loved him. He based his humor on the things that appeared in the daily papers. He turned the names and events into humor, and the audience loved it, even when it was about them.

In 1919, Will went to Hollywood and went to the top in the movie world. He was always himself although he played many roles.

The daily newspaper column "Will Rogers says" in 1926 gave him a good excuse to travel. He went to Europe, Russia, South America, Mexico, Cuba, Hawaii, and all over the United States. He never tired of going and found something good in everyone he met.

Will never forgot the folks back home in Claremore, Oklahoma. He usually called Claremore his home, because nobody but an Indian could pronounce Oologah. And, he never forgot his Indian heritage. He once said, "My ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat!"

On one of Will's trips back to Claremore, he bought twenty acres on a beautiful hilltop. It is on this same land that the Will Rogers Memorial stands today. The larger than life bronze statue at the Memorial has been touched by more than 20 million visitors since it opened in 1938. They watch the film that tells his life story, see the hundreds of photos, the saddles, movie memorabilia, the roping tricks, and his unforgettable voice. Once you have been to the Will Rogers Memorial, you will never have to ask, "Who is Will Rogers?"

Rogers County Historical Society References:

WILL ROGERS by Dr. Reba Collins, Retired Curator, Will Rogers Memorial, Claremore, Oklahoma. Published in the magazines:

Oklahoma Today, Volume 29, Number 1, Winter 1978-79

Oklahoma Today, Volume 29, Number 2, Spring 1979

Oklahoma Today, Volume 29, Number 3, Summer 1979

Oklahoma Today, Volume 29, Number 4, Autumn 1979

NEVER MET A MAN I DIDN'T LIKE: THE LIFE AND WRITING OF WILL ROGERS by Joseph H. Carter, Curator, Will Rogers Memorial, Claremore, Oklahoma. Published by AVON BOOKS, New York, New York 10019

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This Page Last Updated 27 September 97 by Mike Swatek

This page has been accessed () times since 13 September 1999