Will Rogers, the Cowboy Philosopher

"Live your life so that whenever you lose, you're ahead."
-Will Rogers

Will Rogers was born in 1879 on a large ranch in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. When he was just a boy, a freed slave showed him how to use a lasso to work the Texas Longhorn cattle on the ranch.

As he grew older, Rogers' roping skills improved and advanced so far that he was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. He could throw three lassos at once: one would catch the running horse's neck, the other would hoop around the rider and the third would swoop up under the horse to loop all four legs.

Rogers' skills won him a place in wild west shows, and vaudeville
performances. He even started telling jokes while he roped. People loved to hear his wise cracks and "folksy observations" even more than they loved to watch him rope, and he became known as a cowboy philosopher.

Rogers had dropped out of school after tenth grade, in order to become a cowboy in a cattle drive. He later regretted not finishing school, and continued his education on his own.

Rogers' talents took him to Broadway, and Hollywood where he made 71 movies in twenty years. He also wrote syndicated newspaper columns, and traveled around the globe three times.

Rogers wrote six books, and was the first big-time radio commentator. Leaders around the world had him as their guest, but Rogers remained a cowboy. He always enjoyed riding horseback, roping steers and playing polo.

Rogers and his wife, Betty, had three children with successful careers of their own. Will Rogers Jr. played his Father in two major motion pictures, was a war hero, and a congressman. Mary Rogers acted on Broadway, and Jim Rogers became a cattle rancher after starring in several cowboy movies.

Rogers always enjoyed flying, and in 1935 he took a flight to Alaska. The plane crashed and Rogers and his pilot were killed. The world mourned the loss of a great entertainer, and philosopher.