Paul G. Rogers, a 24-year congressman whose name is on the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach, died Monday in Washington, D.C., family members said. He was 87.

During his years in office, Rogers earned the nickname ''Mr. Health.'' The West Palm Beach congressman was a driving force behind the National Cancer Act of 1971, which mobilized resources in a ``war on cancer.''

Doctors discovered he had lung cancer and Rogers recently underwent surgery, said his brother, Palm Beach attorney Doyle Rogers.

Rogers served in Congress from 1955 to 1979 before focusing on private practice and charitable work as a partner in the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson.

''He was just a giant of a man,'' said Dan Mica, a former chief of staff to Rogers who succeeded him in Congress. ``He once told me the best part about being in politics is not the politics -- it's the ability to touch people's lives.''

In 2000, Congress designated the main plaza at the National Institutes of Health the Paul G. Rogers Plaza.

`INCREDIBLE'

''He was an incredible public servant,'' said former Congressman Harry Johnston of West Palm Beach. ``In the health field, he got on it before everyone else did. Everyone went to him for information and advice.''

As Rogers put it in a 1979 interview, ``I saw the potential for what could be done in the healthcare field and it just was not being aggressively pursued. We were not looking ahead and planning.''

Rogers later served on the board of directors of Merck & Co. and Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York.

Born on June 4, 1921, in Ocilla, Ga., Rogers earned a law degree from the University of Florida and was first elected as a Democrat in his West Palm Beach-based district to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father, Dwight L. Rogers.

Early supporters included George Wedgeworth of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative in Belle Glade.

''He was one of the most-liked congressmen I can think of,'' Wedgeworth said.

He was reelected 11 times, often without opposition, before choosing to retire from Congress. He helped to double the National Institutes of Health budget in five years, but he sensed difficult budget-cutting ahead after decades of building health programs.

''Being in Congress and constantly trimming and cutting back is not too satisfying,'' he said in 1986.

NOTABLE ACTS

Rogers chaired the subcommittee on health and the environment from 1971 to 1979. He sponsored or played an important role in enacting legislation including the National Cancer Acts of 1971 and 1977; the Health Manpower Training Act; the Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung and Blood Act; the Research on Aging Act; the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970; the Emergency Medical Services Act; the Health Maintenance Organization Act; the Clean Air and Safe Drinking Water Acts; and the Medicare-Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments of 1977.

He is survived by his wife, Rebecca B. Rogers; daughter Laing Sisto, and four grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements were not announced Monday.