John Raphael Rogers (c. 1857 - February 18, 1934) invented the Typograph, a form of typesetting machine. The patent for setting a line of type in a single bar of metal was held by the Linotype company, so Rogers was unable to market his invention in the US. He sold the patent to a German company, and it was used successfully in Germany for some years.[1] [2]
He was born in Roseville, Illinois, to John A. Rogers and Elizabeth Embree Rogers. He graduated from Oberlin College with a bachelor's degree in 1875. He worked as a school teacher and school superintendent until 1886, after which he worked on his inventions full time. He received a patent for the Rogers Typograph in 1888.