Rogers, Henry Huttleston

Rogers, Henry Huttleston, 1840–1909, American financier, b. Fairhaven, Mass. After he moved (1860) to Pennsylvania, he entered the oil business, experimented in the refining of petroleum, and, in partnership with Charles Pratt, became one of the important independent refiners. In 1874, when his company was absorbed by the Standard Oil Company, Rogers—who originated the idea of pipeline transportation for oil—became a lieutenant of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. His holdings steadily grew larger and more diverse; they included major interests in the Consolidated Gas Company and Amalgamated Copper and directorships of U.S. Steel and the Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads. He was one of America's leading capitalists.