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65-662: The mountain is named for William Barton Rogers , a Virginian educated at the College of William & Mary , who taught at William & Mary and the University of Virginia , became Virginia's first State Geologist, and went on to found the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . The summit is most easily accessed from Grayson Highlands State Park by following the Appalachian Trail southbound for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) to

130-524: A geological survey of Virginia, and he was called upon to organize it in 1835. That same year, he and his brother Henry were elected members of the American Philosophical Society . By 1835, his brother Henry was state geologist of Pennsylvania , and together the brothers unfolded the historical geology of the Appalachian chain. Among their joint special investigations were the study of

195-458: A 67% mortality rate since, although Mount Rogers was not affected as severely as other locations. Some researchers have proposed that air pollution in the form of nitrogen and sulfur compounds originating from power plants has been a source of stress to the Fraser firs, resulting in an increased susceptibility to the balsam woolly adelgid, but this relationship has not been confirmed. Mount Rogers and

260-460: A blue-blazed trail leading to the summit, which is covered by trees and marked with four National Geodetic Survey triangulation station disks ; a standard station disk marked with an equilateral triangle and three standard reference disks marked with arrows pointing towards the station disk. One reference disk has been obscured by dense overgrowth. Because the Appalachian Trail passes within

325-905: A course of lectures before the Lowell Institute on "The Application of Science to the Arts" in 1862. In 1861, he was appointed inspector of gas and gas meters for the state of Massachusetts , a post he accepted reluctantly. During his service, he improved the standards of measurement. For more detail, see History of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . An act of the Massachusetts State Legislature incorporated MIT in 1861, and Rogers became its first president in 1862. He served as president of MIT until 1870, when he stood down because of declining health. By necessity, he returned to office in 1878 and continued to 1881, when he

390-465: A degree" and there was no evidence showing that he graduated. William Barton Rogers delivered a series of lectures on science before the Maryland Institute in 1827, and succeeded his father as professor of natural philosophy and chemistry at William and Mary in 1828, where he remained until 1835. During this time, he carried on investigations on dew and on the voltaic battery , and prepared

455-557: A half mile of the summit, the area is especially popular with hikers. The Mount Rogers area contains a unique record of the geohistory of Virginia. There is evidence from the rocks that volcanoes were part of the landscape. Roughly 760 million years ago, rift -related (divergent) volcanoes erupted along the axis of what later became the Appalachians, and one remnant of that volcanic zone, with its volcanic rocks , still can be seen at Mount Rogers. Massive rhyolite lava flows erupted at

520-529: A judicial case resulted in another reform in 1638, where the Council of Assistants became an upper house that sat separately, with consent of both houses required to pass legislation. In October 1650 the General Court took exception to the book The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption by William Pynchon . They regarded it as containing many errors and heresies and decided to make their views very plain by having

585-426: A law. It is usually effective in ninety days. The day after the governor signs the bill is considered to be the first day, and each succeeding day, including Sundays and holidays is counted until the ninetieth. Laws considered "emergency" in nature take effect immediately upon signing if the legislature has voted to attach an "emergency preamble" to the bill. Adoption of the preamble requires a two-thirds standing vote of

650-535: A map as Papers on the Geology of Virginia (New York, 1884). In 1835 Rogers also began serving as professor of "natural philosophy" at the University of Virginia (UVa). There he added mineralogy and geology to the curriculum , and did original research in geology, chemistry and physics. While he was chair of the department of philosophy at UVA, he vigorously defended to the Virginia State Legislature

715-691: A prominent banker. In 1853 he resigned from the University of Virginia, moving to Boston for two principal reasons. First, he wanted to increase his participation in scientific circles under the auspices of the Boston Society of Natural History and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , in whose proceedings and in the American Journal of Science his papers had been published while at Virginia. Second, and more importantly, Rogers wanted to implement

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780-551: A scheme for technical education, which could not be achieved within the structure and institutional focuses of UVa. He desired to have associated, on one side, scientific research and investigation on the largest scale and, on the other side, agencies for the popular diffusion of useful knowledge. This project continued to occupy his attention until it culminated in the chartering of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1861), of which he became first president. To raise funds and public awareness of his new Institute, Rogers delivered

845-461: A series of papers on the greensand and calcareous marl minerals of eastern Virginia and their value as fertilizers . In 1833, his brother Henry had returned from England filled with enthusiasm for geology, and this had prompted Rogers to begin studies in the field. The practical value of his article on greensand caught the eye of the Virginia legislature. Rogers took this opportunity to lobby for

910-564: A state legislature in the United States. She was outed against her will following the election and served one term. As of 2018, the General Court was composed of 75 percent male and 25 percent female representation. There are 40 senatorial districts in Massachusetts, named for the counties in which they are located. There are 160 representational districts in Massachusetts, named for the counties in which they are located. The speaker of

975-677: A university for the "useful arts" could be essential in an age of industrial progress. In 1861, Rogers secured funding from the Massachusetts legislature for a school of the "useful arts." When MIT opened in 1865, Rogers was its first president and physics instructor. Ill health caused him to step away from his duties in 1868, although he stayed active in forming the Institute's curriculum, fundraising, and efforts at coeducation. He returned as MIT's president in 1878, stepped down three years later, and died while giving MIT's 1882 graduation speech. During

1040-453: Is a full-time legislature, although not to the extent of neighboring New York or some other states. The earliest history of the General Court is in the original charter of 1629. Massachusetts Bay Colony , one of the original Thirteen Colonies , was a royally chartered joint stock company founded in 1628 in London . Much like other joint-stock companies of the time the first General Court

1105-412: Is composed of six senators and eleven representatives. The standing committees schedule public hearings for the individual bills, which afford citizens, legislators and lobbyists the opportunity to express their views. Committee members meet at a later time in executive session to review the public testimony and discuss the merits of each bill before making their recommendations to the full membership of

1170-534: Is one of the few remaining habitats of the Fraser fir , which is found only at high elevations, typically above 5,500 feet (1,700 m), in the southern Appalachian Mountains. These forests have suffered recent declines due to infestations by the balsam woolly adelgid ( Adelges piceae ) , a non-native insect that originated in Europe. It first infested Mount Rogers in 1962 and the entire U.S. population of Fraser firs suffered

1235-717: Is referred to the Senate or House Committee on Ways and Means after the first reading. Adverse reports ("ought not to pass") are also referred to the Committee on Steering and Policy in the Senate or placed without debate in the Orders of the Day for the next session of the House. Acceptance by either branch of an adverse report is considered the final rejection and the matter of the matter. However, an adverse report can be overturned. A member may move to substitute

1300-603: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston . The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony , when the colonial assembly, in addition to making laws, sat as a judicial court of appeals . Before the adoption of the state constitution in 1780, it was called the Great and General Court , but the official title was shortened by John Adams , author of

1365-584: The legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since the adoption of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780. The body was in operation before Massachusetts became a U.S. state on February 6, 1788 . The first sessions, starting in 1780 , were one-year elected sessions for both houses. This was expanded to two-year sessions starting with the 142nd General Court in January 1921. Thereafter,

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1430-841: The state constitution . It is a bicameral body . The upper house is the Massachusetts Senate which is composed of 40 members. The lower body , the Massachusetts House of Representatives , has 160 members; until 1978, the state house had 240 members. It meets in the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston. Since 1959, Democrats have controlled both houses of the Massachusetts General Court, often by large majorities. The Democrats enjoyed veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers for part of

1495-605: The 1990s (i.e., enough votes to override vetoes by a governor) and also currently hold supermajorities in both chambers. State senators and representatives both serve two-year terms. There are no term limits ; a term limit was enacted by initiative in Massachusetts in 1994 but in 1997 was struck down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court , which ruled that it was an unconstitutional attempt to provide additional qualifications for office by statute, rather than constitutional amendment. The legislature

1560-687: The AAGN. He was president of the AAAS in 1875, and elected its first honorary fellow in 1881, as a special mark of distinction. He was active in founding the American Social Science Association and its first president; also he was one of the corporate members of the National Academy of Sciences , and its president from 1878 until his death. In 1866, Harvard gave him the degree of LL.D. Because of his affiliation with Virginia, Mount Rogers ,

1625-499: The Committee on Bills in the Third Reading. This amounts to preliminary approval of the bill in that branch. That committee examines technical points, as well as the legality and constitutionality of the measure, and ensures that it does not duplicate or contradict existing law. The committee then issues a report and returns the bill to the House or Senate for its third reading. At that time, legislators can further debate and amend

1690-425: The House has historically been quite powerful, exerting significant influence over all aspects of state government. The General Court is responsible for enacting laws in the state. The two legislative branches work concurrently on pending laws brought before them. Lawmaking begins when legislators, or their delegates, file petitions accompanied by bills, resolves or other types of legislation electronically, using

1755-587: The House or Senate. Matters not requiring reference to another Joint, House or Senate committee are, following the first reading, referred without debate to the Committee on Senate Rules if reported in the Senate, except certain special laws (relative to a city or town) are placed directly on the Senate Calendar (Orders of the Day), or, without debate to the House Steering, Policy and Scheduling committee if reported into

1820-511: The House or Senate. The Health Care Financing Committee is required to provide an estimated cost of the bill, when making their report. If the estimated cost is less than $ 100,000, the bill bypasses having to be referred to Ways and Means. If a bill is not related to health care, but affects the finances of the Commonwealth, or, if it is reported by the Health Care Financing Committee with an estimated cost greater than $ 100,000, it

1885-503: The House or Senate. The public may still observe "executive" sessions, but may not participate in these meetings. The committee then issues its report, recommending that a bill "ought to pass" or "ought not to pass" and the report is submitted to the Clerk's office. The first reading of a favorably reported bill is automatic and generally occurs when the committee's report appears in the Journal of

1950-548: The House. Reports from Senate Rules or House Steering, Policy and Scheduling are placed on the Calendar of the Chamber receiving the report for a second reading. If a bill reported favorably by a joint committee affects health care it is referred by the House or Senate Clerk to the joint committee on Health Care Financing; and the first reading is delayed until the next favorable report, thus allowing Health Care Financing to report to either

2015-582: The Legislative Automated Workflow System (LAWS). The electronically submitted legislation is received in the House or Senate Clerk's office where the petitions , bills , and resolves are recorded in an electronic docket book. The clerks number the bills and assign them to appropriate joint committees. There are 26 of these committees, each responsible for studying the bills which pertain to specific policy areas, taxation , education , health care , insurance , and others. Each committee

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2080-434: The authority of the General Court. Under this new system the religious qualification, that suffrage be for only Puritan men, was changed to a qualification of property ownership. The Assistants were also officially changed to a Governor's Council to be selected by the governor to act as an upper house as well as a council for advice and consent . All laws passed by the General Court were to be approved by Royal Governor of

2145-417: The bill for the report, and, if the motion to substitute carries, the matter is then given its first reading and follows the same procedure as if reported favorably by committee. After a bill is read for a second time, it is open to debate on amendments and motions . Following debate, a vote is taken and if the bill receives a favorable vote by the membership, it is ordered to a third reading and referred to

2210-425: The bill, first in the House and later in the Senate, is the final step in the passage of a bill by the legislature. Following enactment, the bill goes to the governor , who may sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without signing it (if the governor holds the bill for ten days without taking any action while the legislature is in session, it becomes law without his or her signature), veto it, or return it to

2275-535: The bill. Following the third reading, the body votes on "passing the bill to be engrossed." The bill must then pass through three readings and engrossment in the second legislative branch. Should that occur, it is sent to the Legislative Engrossing Division where it is typed on special parchment in accordance with the General Laws . However, if the second branch passes an amended version of the bill,

2340-791: The book burnt on Boston Common . With the collapse of the Dominion of New England in the Glorious Revolution in 1689 The Assistants convened an assembly of delegates from each town to reform the General Court. With the Massachusetts Charter in 1691 the Province of Massachusetts Bay absorbed the colony of Plymouth . The Plymouth Colony , along with the District of Maine and the islands off Cape Cod , Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket were to be an extension of Massachusetts and thus under

2405-528: The brothers published a paper on "The Laws of Structure of the more Disturbed Zones of the Earth's Crust", in which the wave theory of mountain chains was first announced. This was followed later by William Rogers' statement of the law of distribution of geological faults . These pioneering works contributed to a better understanding of the vast coal beds underlying some parts of the Appalachian region, and helped pave

2470-532: The city on March 17, 1776. The Governor's Council acted as the executive in the absence of the governor and lieutenant governor, administering the rebel forces of the colony during the early years of the American Revolutionary War , which began in Massachusetts at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The General Assembly declared Massachusetts independent from Britain on May 1, 1776. With

2535-632: The colony. Soon after, Governor John Winthrop and the Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley broke with protocol when they themselves traveled to New England and moved the government to Massachusetts Bay. Along with them came the stock holders of the company and the Council of Assistants . Once in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the new government reorganized itself out of convenience. Instead of attempting to assemble all stockholders to

2600-484: The company. These officials were to have royally assented governmental control of the colony and would be tasked with the management and defense of the colonial plantation. The first Court assembled would be made from these members to discuss and evaluate the situation of the colony. The first meeting of the original General Court took place in London in 1629. The General Court selected John Endicott as its representative to

2665-514: The discretion of local magistrates creating a theocratic quasi-democratic state. By votes of the General Court in the 1630s, the system of government changed to have an elected governor and to restrict the list of "freemen" to those affiliated with certain Puritan churches. In 1634, after complaint the charter was not being followed, a compromise resulted in recomposition of the General Court as two deputies elected by freemen in each town. Problems with

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2730-635: The end of the 18th century to America, where he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and practiced medicine. When William Barton was born, Patrick Rogers was tutor at Penn. In 1819 Patrick Rogers became professor of natural philosophy and mathematics at the College of William and Mary , where he remained until his death. William Barton Rogers had three brothers: James Blythe Rogers (1802–1852), Henry Darwin Rogers (1808–1866), and Robert Empie Rogers (1813–1884). The Rogers brothers would each grow up to be distinguished scientists. William Barton Rogers

2795-618: The form of the Governor, the Governor's Council, etc. had more executive authority the Court could cause political stalemate if its demands were not met. Even the Governor's reserve power to dissolve the General Court was ineffective because a new assembly had to be elected the following year. With the passage of the Intolerable Acts by the Parliament of Great Britain there was political turmoil in

2860-463: The highest peak in the state, is named after him. Besides numerous papers on geology, chemistry, and physics, contributed to the proceedings of societies and technical journals, he was the author of: Massachusetts General Court Minority (4) Minority (24) Vacant (1) The Massachusetts General Court , formally the General Court of Massachusetts , is the state legislature of

2925-415: The legislation returns to the original branch for a vote of concurrence in the amendment. If concurrence is rejected, a conference committee consisting of the three members from each legislative branch representing both political parties may be formed to effect a compromise piece of legislation. When a compromise is reached, the bill is sent to both legislative branches for their approval. A vote "to enact"

2990-429: The legislative year was defined as: "The first legislative year starting with the opening of the biennial session and ends at midnight on Tuesday before the first Wednesday of the following year. The second legislative year starts on the first Wednesday of the second year and ends when the legislature prorogues or at midnight on Tuesday before the first Wednesday of the following year. Watson F. Hammond , seated in 1885,

3055-462: The legislature with recommended changes. If the legislature has concluded its yearly session, and the governor does not sign the bill within ten days, it dies. This is referred to as a " pocket veto ." This ten-day period includes Sundays and holidays, even if they fall on the tenth day, and it begins the day after the legislation is laid on the governor's desk. A bill signed by the governor, or passed by two-thirds of both branches over his veto, becomes

3120-443: The meeting of the General Court the government decided on having each town elect two representatives to send in their stead. The General Court became a de facto bicameral legislature by virtue of the distinction between delegates elected by towns and the Council of Assistants. The assistants acted as magistrates and counselors of jurisprudence, however when in session they served as a sort of upper house . Their assent and approval

3185-501: The membership. The governor may also declare an act to be an emergency law and make it effective at once. A special act takes effect thirty days from the day it is signed, unless it contains a provision to make it effective immediately. The State House News Service is an independent privately owned wire service based in the Massachusetts State House that provides comprehensive coverage of the Commonwealth's government. It

3250-775: The mountain during the Precambrian rifting event. Mount Rogers is also the only place in Virginia that preserves evidence of ancient Proterozoic glaciation . Mount Rogers is the northernmost habitat of the high-altitude Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forests , which are found in only five other locations in the United States: the Great Smoky Mountains , the Black Mountains , the Great Balsam Mountains , Grandfather Mountain , and Roan Mountain . This forest type

3315-515: The province. The powers of the monarch to be expanded in this new system as well. The King had full control of maritime affairs and acted as an executive, through the Royal Governor, to enforce commercial law. This separation of powers led to some friction with the Royal Governor and the General Court. The General Court retained power over spending and budget and while the Royal Officers, in

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3380-566: The province. With political disorder Thomas Gage , then the Royal Governor, cancelled the new elections for the General Court and in 1774 the assembly was essentially dissolved. This allowed the governor to rule by decree and appoint town governments. In defiance of both Crown law and Gage, members of the General Court formed the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and seized control of the colony except for Boston, where British troops maintained control until when they evacuated

3445-526: The solvent action of water on various minerals and rocks, and the demonstration that "coal beds stand in close genetic relation to the amount of disturbance to which the inclosing strata have been submitted, the coal becoming harder and containing less volatile matter as the evidence of the disturbance increases". In modern terms, this was the realization that the geological process of metamorphism had gradually transformed softer grades of coal, such as lignite , into harder grades, such as anthracite . Together,

3510-506: The surrounding area is home to around 100 wild ponies, one of the few places in the United States where they live in the wild. According to Smithsonian Magazine , the ponies have lived in the area since the 1940s. In 1974, the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association was formed to help manage the herd and maintain the grassy area where they graze. William Barton Rogers William Barton Rogers (December 7, 1804 – May 30, 1882)

3575-548: The time Rogers lived in Virginia, he was a slaveowner, with two slaves in his household in 1840 and six slaves in 1850; one, his cook, was Isabella Gibbons . Rogers was born on December 7, 1804, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the second son of Patrick Kerr Rogers and Hannah Blythe and was of Irish, Scottish, and English extraction. Patrick Rogers was born in Newtownstewart , County Tyrone, Ireland and had immigrated at

3640-429: The university's refusal to award honorary degrees , a policy which continues today. (Later, MIT would adopt a similar policy from its beginning, and continuing to the present). During the time Rogers lived in Virginia, he was a slaveowner, with two slaves in his household in 1840 and six slaves in 1850; one, his cook, was Isabella Gibbons . In 1849, he married Emma Savage of Boston , daughter of James Savage ,

3705-610: The very part and act of public duty. Rogers was chairman of the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists (AAGN; organized 1840) in 1845 and again in 1847, and contributed important memoirs to its Transactions , including observations on the temperature of coal mines in eastern Virginia. In 1847 he also called to order the first meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an enlargement of

3770-528: The war still ongoing, demands for government reform resulted in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1778 , but the text proposed by the legislature failed in a statewide voter referendum. The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1779–1780 was held by a specially-elected body, and the resulting text, after amendment and ratification, became the current state constitution. The current Massachusetts General Court has met as

3835-648: The way for the Industrial Revolution in the United States. In 1842 the work of the survey closed. State revenues had shrunk beginning in 1837, and the funding for the survey had been cut back. Meanwhile, Rogers had published six "Reports of the Geological Survey of the State of Virginia" (Richmond, 1836–40), though there were few copies, and recognition of their significance was slow to develop. They were later compiled by Jed Hotchkiss and issued in one volume with

3900-415: Was a meeting of shareholders, known as freemen . The "Great and General Court" was to meet in London and elect its officers and members in the same manner as other colonial charted companies of the time such as the Virginia Company and the East India Company . The freemen would meet annually to elect representatives in the form of a Royal Governor, a Deputy Governor, and a Council made from the directors of

3965-559: Was an American geologist , physicist , and the founder and first president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A acclaimed lecturer in the physical sciences, Rogers taught at College of William & Mary (1828–1835) and the University of Virginia (1835–1853). While at the university, he served as Virginia's first state geologist and led the state's first geological survey. After meeting Emma Savage in Boston, he married and moved there in 1853. A proponent of practical observation and scientific reasoning, Rogers saw that

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4030-436: Was educated by his father Patrick Kerr Rogers and attended the public schools of Baltimore, Maryland . In 1819, his father was appointed as professor of natural history and chemistry at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and the family moved to Williamsburg, Virginia . According to MIT Libraries , William Barton Rogers attended the College of William and Mary from 1819 to 1824, but he "apparently did not receive

4095-462: Was made professor emeritus of physics and geology, which position he had held while he was president. He died after collapsing during a speech at MIT's 1882 commencement exercises. According to legend his last words were " bituminous coal ": He fell to the platform – instantly dead. All his life he had borne himself most faithfully and heroically, and he died as so good a knight would surely have wished, in harness, at his post, and in

4160-401: Was needed in order for any decision from the house of delegates to be passed. The new legislature was elected annually. Suffrage was allowed only for men who were Puritan church members and freemen. This General Court removed any feudal restraints on the population and codified a Bill of Rights and powers of a judiciary. The General Court also enshrined the Laws of Moses as legal code under

4225-432: Was the first Native American to be elected to the body. Florence Slocomb was one of the first three women in the Commonwealth to be elected to the state Legislature and the first woman from Worcester to win a state legislative seat, representing that district from 1926 to 1928. Althea Garrison was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1992 and is known as the first transgender person to serve in

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