New Mexico

Historical Figures: Archbishop Lamy, Charles Bent, Billy the Kid, Kit Carson, Willa Cather, Flying Priest, Pat Garrett, Greer Garson, Geronimo, Conrad Hilton, Mable Dodge Lujan, Fred Lambert, John Gaw Meems, Robert Ollinger, Millicent Rogers, Will Schuster, Carrie Tingley, Lew Wallace
Museums: Kit Carson Historic Museum, Las Vegas City Museum & Rough Rider Memorial, Tucumcari Historical Research Institute & Museum, The Museum of New Mexico, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Rattlesnake Museum, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Farmington Museum, Grants Chamber of Commerce and Mining, Red Rock Museum, San Juan County Archaeological Research Center, E.L. Blumenschein Home & Museum, Florence Hawley Ellis Museum of Anthropology, Ghost Ranch Living Museum, Millicent Rogers Museum, Old Mill Museum, Palace of the Governors, Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology, Cleveland Roller Mill Museum, Folsom Museum, Fort Union National Monument, Pecos National Historical Park, Raton Museum, Santa Fe Trail Museum & Historical Society, City of Las Cruces Log Cabin Museum, Fort Selden State Monument, Gadsden Museum, Las Cruces Museum of Natural History, New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources, New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Silver City Museum, Western Archeological & Conservation Center, Center for Southwest Research, Charlie Morrisey Research Hall Collection, Geology Museum

Millicent Rogers

Millicent Rogers was an heiress, granddaughter of one of the original founders of Standard Oil. While she was a legend in the fashion industry, she was a compassionate and tireless humanitarian as well.

Rogers assembled influential friends with the purpose of addressing the rights and cultural value of Native Americans. In 1947, she and authors Frank Waters, Oliver Lafarge and Lucius Beebe hired lawyers and went to Washington to lobby for Indian citizenship. At that time, Native Americans were considered as numbers and couldn't even get passports. Their mission was the formation of more humane policies in which to govern America's affairs with the eight northern Pueblos in New Mexico. Rogers also successfully fought for Indian art to be classified as "historic," thus providing protection and status. Because Rogers was well-known and influential, she called upon the magazines that had written so much about her to help spread the word of her cause.

Millicent Rogers was a style setter, fashion icon of the time, patron saint of fashion, and a designer of jewelry. She was able to convince Balenciaga to make her some peasant blouses. Considering the kind of influence and money she had, it's humbling to know she was buried "in an Indian blouse, skirt, moccasins and wrapped in a Navajo blanket.

Rogers was in poor health most of her life. She'd contracted rheumatic fever when she was 8 and died of an enlarged heart when she was 50 and on Jan 1, 1952 she was buried in Taos.

Millicent Rogers Museum
Post Office Box 1210
Taos, NM 87571
Phone (575) 758-2462
www.millicentrogers.org/

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