Roger Cutler rowed the coxed fours at the 1936 Olympics, rowing with his brother Bob Cutler. The brothers were members of the Riverside Boat Club, and attended Harvard College, with Roger graduating in 1937. He captained the crew team in his senior year. Their mother was Leslie Cutler, one of the pioneer female politicians in Massachusetts, who served as a Selectwoman, State Representative, and State Senator. Their father, also Roger Cutler, graduated Harvard in 1911, and was also captain of the crew team.