Letter of Honorable Rufus Choate, Resigning the Office of Regent of the Smithsonian Institution

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Summary

Rufus Choate's letter of resignation in protest of the management of the Smithsonian, which he deemed not in accordance with the act of Congress that established the Institution. This letter sparked the formation of a congressional select committee to investigate the management of the Institution and whether any additional legislation was necessary to carry out the intentions of the founders.

Subject

  • Choate, Rufus, 1799-1859
  • Board of Regents
  • Select Committee of the House of Representatives, 33rd Congress, 2nd Session
  • United States Congress

Category

Smithsonian Legal Documents

Legal document information

  • Title 20, Education
  • Letter of Resignation

Notes

See also Upham Report of the Select Committee of the House of Representatives, 33rd Congress, 2nd Session; Witte Report of the Select Committee of the House of Representatives, 33rd Congress, 2nd Session; Journal of the Select Committee, 33rd Congress

Contained within

Reports of Committees of the House of Representatives, 33rd Congress, 2nd Session (Book)

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

  • 1855
  • 01/13/1855

Topic

  • Law
  • Controversies
  • Interpretation and construction
  • Letters
  • Secretaries
  • Act to establish the "Smithsonian Institution," for the Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge Among Men
  • Congressional Debates
  • Libraries
  • Museums
  • Management
  • Resignations
  • Law--Interpretation and construction
  • Legislation
  • Libraries and museums

Form/Genre

Letter of Resignation

Physical description

Number of pages: 2; Page Numbers: 1-2

Full Record

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