William Vann Rogers, generally known as Will Rogers, Jr. (October 20, 1911–July 9, 1993), was the son of
legendary humorist Will Rogers (1879–1935) and his wife, the former Betty Blake (1879–1944), and a
Democratic Congressman from California from January 3, 1943 until May 23, 1944, when he resigned to return
to the United States Army. Rogers also had several other careers, notably as a newspaper owner/publisher,
an actor, and a writer.

Rogers was born in New York City. He grew up in Beverly Hills, California due to his father's involvement
in the motion picture industry and attended school there. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree from
Stanford University in 1935. Upon completion of his studies, he served as publisher of the Beverly Hills
Citizen newspaper, a role in which he continued until 1953. He also was commissioned as a second
lieutenant in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. However, upon U.S. entry into World War II, he decided
to enlist as a private in June 1942, but was commissioned in the field artillery the next month and
assigned to the 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion.

Will Rogers Jr. was elected as a Democratic congressman for Southern California in 1942. Although he
served only 17 months in congress, he is best remembered as the American politician who did the most to
try and save the Jews of Europe during World War II. Rogers joined the Emergency Committee to Save the
Jewish People of Europe in 1943. He also introduced a bill called the Rescue Resolution that, if passed,
would have established safe havens for Jewish refugees from Europe in nearby neutral countries. The bill
failed to pass, largely due to opposition from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his administration.
Rogers resigned from Congress in 1944 and returned to the US Army as a tank commander. He saw combat and
was decorated for bravery during the war. In 1946 he made an unsuccessful bid for the US Senate. In the
late 1940s he left politics to concentrate on show business and entertainment. In his early 80s, Rogers
suffered from heart disease and a series of strokes. At the age of 81 hip implant surgery left him in
great pain. To end his suffering, he drove into the desert and shot himself in the head.