Thomas Wesley Rogers was born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, on September 30, 1900, to John Anderson and Lou Emma (Davis) Rogers. He attended Lincoln County public schools in Fayetteville before entering Howard College, in Birmingham, Alabama the summer of 1923. He transferred to Birmingham-Southern College where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1927. In 1928, Rogers earned his Master of Arts from the University of Chicago. Rogers earned a J.D. degree from DePaul University in 1948.

From 1928-1929, Rogers served as a professor and taught business and economics at Drake University. In 1929, Rogers joined the Indiana University faculty as an Assistant Professor of Industrial and Personnel Management. He remained in this position, teaching in Bloomington and through the IU Extension, until his resignation in 1941. While at IU, Rogers published three works: Readings in Industrial and Personnel Management (1931), The Administration of Personnel in Theory and Practice (1932), and "The Occupational Experience of One Hundred Unemployed Persons in Bloomington Indiana" (1931). Rogers worked for the American Finance Conference in Chicago, Illinois for many years, first as a research director and later as executive vice president. He was named a Visiting Professor of Business Administration at Lipscomb University in 1963 and was also a visiting professor at the University of Texas.

In addition to his professional career, Rogers was also an active community and church member. While in Bloomington, he served as the Chairman of the Citizens Committee on Unemployment Relief of Bloomington from 1930-1934 and as the Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Unemployment Relief, Monroe County, Indiana, from 1932-1934. Rogers was also a member of the Bloomington Kiwanis Club. He served as an elder and as the Chair of the Missions Committee at the Otter Creek Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to his local service, Rogers was a member of several national organizations including the American Management Association and the National Education Association as well as a number of social and honorary fraternities.

Rogers married Rena Cruce on July 17, 1929. They had two daughters: Nancy Lou Rogers and Rena Carolyn Rogers. Thomas W. Rogers died on February 4, 1973.