Rogers, Waldo H.

Waldo Henry Rogers, attorney and judge, was born on May 17, 1908. He was son of Las Vegas, New Mexico, attorney A.T. Rogers and Helen M. Waldo, daughter of Henry L. Waldo, Supreme Court Justice of the Territory of New Mexico. Early in his life, Rogers was kidnapped by his uncle, William Rogers, and an accomplice. Rogers was taken from the family home when he was two years old and held for a ransom of $12,000. He was recovered unharmed and William Rogers and the accomplice were jailed for the crime. Rogers was educated in the public schools at Las Vegas and graduated from high school in 1925. He studied law at the University of Colorado, 1925-1931, and began his legal career shortly thereafter. Rogers had a distinguished law career based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was appointed United States District Judge in May 1954, a position he held until his death in 1964.