Smithsonian Institution, Board of Regents, Minutes, 1854

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Summary

  • Present: John T. Towers, James A. Pearce, Stephen A. Douglas, James M. Mason, William H. English, David Stuart, Alexander Dallas Bache, Joseph G. Totten, Gideon Hawley, Richard Rush. Also present: Joseph Henry. The members not present were Roger B. Taney, James Meacham, Rufus Choate, and John M. Berrien.
  • John T. Towers, mayor elect of the city of Washington, appeared and took the seat in the board vacated by Mr. Maury, the late mayor. The Secretary laid before the board the sixth volume of Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge.
  • Mr. Mason offered a resolution to give the Secretary the power to employ assistants "the better to enable him to discharge those duties" and also the "power to remove his said assistants". Mr. English offers an amendment that the Secretary needs the consent of the Board of Regents to remove his assistants. The ammendment was not carried by a vote of four to five; however, the resolution was carried by a vote of six to four.
  • Mr. English moved that the board adjourn. This motion was withdrawn to allow the chairman of the Executive Committee, Mr. Pearce, to bring forward the appropriations for the year recommended by the committee, and reported to the board April 29, 1854. On motion, the appropriations, as reported by the Executive Committee, were adopted - ayes 7, noes 3.
  • The Secretary has employed Lorin Blodgett to reduce and discuss the meteorological observations collected by the Smithsonian Institution, and that a misunderstanding had arisen as to the adjustment of his claims in reference to the work and the matter is referred to the Executive Committee.

Subject

  • Blodget, Lorin 1823-1901
  • Henry, Joseph 1797-1878
  • Stuart, David
  • English, William Hayden
  • Mason, James Murray
  • Totten, Joseph Gilbert 1788-1864
  • Hawley, Gideon 1785-1870
  • Douglas, Stephen Arnold
  • Bache, A. D (Alexander Dallas) 1806-1867
  • Towers, John Thomas 1811-1857
  • Taney, Roger Brooke 1777-1864
  • Choate, Rufus, 1799-1859
  • Berrien, John McPherson, 1781-1856
  • Meacham, James C
  • Board of Regents
  • Board of Regents Executive Committee
  • Regents Smithsonian Institution

Category

Smithsonian Legal Documents

Legal document information

  • Regents Minutes
  • Title 20, Education
  • Board of Regents - Resolutions

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 1, Board of Regents Vol. 1 (Bound volume)

Contact information

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

Date

  • 1879
  • July 8, 1854

Topic

  • Controversies
  • Personnel management
  • Research

Form/Genre

Board of Regents

Physical description

Number of pages: 3; Page Numbers: 112-114

Full Record

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