Today is Will Rogers Day — well, not really, I guess, but it is his birthday. He was born on November 4, 1879 in what is now Oklahoma. About the only place that’s it’s really “Will Rogers Day,” is in Claremore, Oklahoma. Claremore kind of claims Will Rogers, and in fact he is probably it’s most famous resident. In 1938, Claremore opened the Will Rogers Memorial and has celebrated his birthday every year since. This year, like always, the Will Rogers Museum will host Will Rogers Days from November 1 through 4. The festivities include the Will Rogers Motion Picture Festival, whiskey tasting, wreath laying, parade and birthday party.
Will Rogers was known as “American’s Cowboy Philosopher,” or maybe “The Cherokee Kid.” He was a trailblazing actor, radio personality, author, and public speaker who, still today, is regarded as “an unofficial ambassador for the United States.”
Will Rogers was a Cherokee Indian. He left home five years before his homeland became a state and was renamed Oklahoma. He later wrote, “We spoiled the best Territory in the World to make a State.” He’s noted for his famous quote, “My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.”
In addition to his film career, Rogers was famous for his humor and concise phrases, like “I never met a man I didn’t like” and “A man that don’t love a horse, there is something the matter with him.” His writings were published in six books, over 3,600 newspaper columns and many magazine articles.
Will rogers died in 1935, at the age of 55, in a plane crash on the way to Alaska. The plane was piloted by Wiley Post — another Oklahoma native.
Happy birthday Will.
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