James Macie Changes His Name to Smithson
Close
Download IIIF ManifestRequest permissionsDownload image PrintID:
Creator:
Form/Genre:
Date: February 16, 1801
Citation:
James Lewis Macie (c. 1765-1829) changes his name to James Smithson. James Lewis Macie/Smithson was the illegitimate son of Elizabeth Hungerford Keate Macie (c. 1732-1800) and Hugh Smithson (1715-1786). After the death of both his parents, Macie changed his name to Smithson to acknowledge publicly who his father was. James Macie/Smithson was the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution.
Chronology of Smithsonian History
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
February 16, 1801
Name Changes