Mort Rogers

Maxson Mortimer Rogers

• Born Brooklyn, NY USA
• Died May 13, 1881 in New York, NY USA

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Mort Rogers was an umpire in the National Association in 1871 and 1872, working a total of 13 games. This may not seem like much, but it made him one of the busiest umpires of that time. He also played baseball for a while throughout the 1860s.

He was also a publicist for the game and founded The Baseballist, a weekly New England publication dedicated to the game that later became The New England Chronicle. In 1871, he came up with the idea of selling scorecards featuring the likeness of a Boston Red Stockings players to sell to spectators at their games. The picture included changed with every game, and at the end of the season fans could have a full set of pictures of their team's players. Harry Wright was the first to be depicted in what many consider to be the ancestor of the modern baseball card.

He was the brother of Fraley Rogers. He died just three days after Fraley's suicide in 1881.

Related Sites

• Mort Rogers at Retrosheet.org
• Find-a-Grave Memorial for Mort Rogers