Series 1. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1897-1918.
Series 2. OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE, 1898-1907, 6 BOUND LETTERPRESS BOOKS.
Series 3. REPORTS ON EUROPEAN MUSEUMS, 1904 & 1907.
Series 4. REQUESTS FOR AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS OF RECEIPT OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN #70, THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART , BY RICHARD RATHBUN, 1909. JANUARY- APRIL, 1910.
Series 5. HISTORICAL RESEARCH FILE, 1897-1918.
The history of the office of Assistant Secretary can be traced to January
26, 1847 when the Smithsonian Board of Regents approved the nomination of
Charles C. Jewett, of Brown University, for the position of Assistant
Secretary, acting as Librarian. On July 5, 1850 the Board resolved "...that
the Secretary be authorized to appoint an assistant secretary in the department
of natural history, to take charge of the museum, and to render such other
assistance as the Secretary may require...." Shortly thereafter, Spencer F.
Baird was appointed to the position. During various periods of time, the
Assistant Secretary was also in charge of publications, exchanges, and other
areas. Incumbents included: (1) Spencer F. Baird, 1850-1878; (2) George Brown
Goode, 1881-1896, including the years 1881-1887 when he served as assistant
director of the museum without the title of Assistant Secretary; (3) Charles
D. Walcott, Acting Assistant Secretary, 1897-1898; (4) Richard Rathbun,
1897-1918. During certain periods of time, the business of the office was
administered by the Executive Curator, Frederick William True. Richard
Rathbun's (1852-1918) association with the Smithsonian Institution began in
1873 when Spencer F. Baird appointed him volunteer assistant in the United
States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. In 1878, Rathbun was appointed
scientific assistant in the USCFF and detailed to New Haven, Connecticut to
work on the collection of marine invertebrates in the custody of Addison Emery
Verrill. He was transferred to Washington in 1880 and the following year was
appointed honorary curator of the Department of Marine Invertebrates in the U.
S. National Museum, a position he continued to hold until 1914. He continued
his concurrent duties with the USCFF and USNM until 1896, when he accepted
appointment to the position of Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution, in charge of Office and Exchanges. After the resignation of
Charles D. Walcott as Assistant Secretary, in charge of the National Museum in
1898, Rathbun's duties were revised to include certain aspects of museum
administration. During this time the Executive Curator, Frederick William True
was the officer in immediate charge of the museum. In January, 1901, Rathbun
was made Assistant Secretary, in charge of the National Museum, in which
capacity he remained until his death in 1918. On the death of Secretary Samuel
P. Langley in February, 1906, Rathbun assumed the duties of Acting Secretary
until the election of Charles D. Walcott in 1907. Major accomplishments of
Rathbun's Assistant Secretarial years included the completion of the
Children's Room of the Smithsonian Institution, 1901; the development of the
National Gallery of Art, 1904-1910 (after 1937 known as the National
Collection of Fine Arts); and the construction of the new National Museum
building completed in 1911. This record unit consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence and
various other records compiled during Rathbun's career as Assistant Secretary.
Descriptions of the records are included as part of the series
descriptions. For other records of Richard Rathbun see record units 79,
80, 189, 192, 201, and 7078. This series consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence (mostly copies) compiled by Richard Rathbun while serving as Assistant Secretary, in charge of Office and Exchanges (1897-1900) and Assistant Secretary, in charge of the United States National Museum (1901-1918). Most of the correspondence is routine, and deals with administrative policy, appropriations, USNM staff, museum publications, and exhibits. The correspondence is directed mostly to USNM administrative officers, with lesser amounts to scientific staff members and other correspondents. Subjects of special interest include the construction of the new National Museum building completed in 1911; the development of the National Gallery of Art; Samuel P. Langley's aerodrome experiments; Gerrit Smith Miller's investigation of European museums; Charles D. Walcott's paleontological field work in the Canadian Rockies, and the Smithsonian-Roosevelt African Expedition of 1909. A smaller amount of confidential correspondence with museum officials, scientific associates, and personal friends is also contained in this series. The records in this series are arranged alphabetically, and chronologically thereunder. Box 1 of 22
HISTORICAL NOTE
DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
SERIES 1.
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1897-1918.
| Folder | 1 | Abbot - Adee | |
| Folders | 2-3 | Adler, Cyrus, 1897-1917 | |
| Folder | 4 | Aero - American | |
| Folder | 5 | Andrews - Ayres | |
| Folder | 6 | Bain - Beeson | |
| Folder | 7 | Belot - Benedict | |
| Folder | 8 | Benjamin, Marcus, 1901-1917 |
Box 2 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Berg - Brinker | |
| Folder | 2 | Brockett, Paul, 1902-1917 | |
| Folder | 3 | Brown - Bryan | |
| Folder | 4 | Bryant, Harry S. | |
| Folder | 5 | Bryant, Thomas - Bushnell | |
| Folder | 6 | Caffey - Church | |
| Folder | 7 | Clark, A. Howard, 1897-1911 | |
| Folder | 8 | Clark, Austin H. - Comparette | |
| Folder | 9 | Concklin - Cowles |
Box 3 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Cox - Curran | |
| Folder | 2 | Dabney - Desbarats | |
| Folder | 3 | Dibrell - Dyer | |
| Folder | 4 | Eastman - Eynon | |
| Folder | 5 | Fagan - Frye | |
| Folder | 6 | Gallagher - Geare, Randolph Iltyd, 1897-1910 | |
| Folders | 7-8 | Geare, Randolph Iltyd, 1911-1916 |
Box 4 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Giglioli - Guggenheim | |
| Folder | 2 | Hackett - Hitchcock | |
| Folder | 3 | Hodge - Holm | |
| Folders | 4-7 | Holmes, William Henry, 1897-1917 | |
| Folder | 8 | Hooper - Houghton | |
| Folder | 9 | Howard - Hyatt |
Box 5 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Indiana - Julian-James | |
| Folder | 2 | Karr - Langley, John W. | |
| Folders | 3-8 | Langley, Samuel P., 1897-1898 |
Box 6 of 22
| Folders | 1-7 | Langley, Samuel P., 1899-1900 |
Box 7 of 22
| Folders | 1-6 | Langley, Samuel P., 1901-1905 | |
| Folder | 7 | Latham - Lewton | |
| Folder | 8 | Leyon - Lyon | |
| Folder | 9 | McCreary - Marvin | |
| Folder | 10 | Mason, Otis Tufton, 1899-1908 |
Box 8 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Mason, William E. - Maynard | |
| Folder | 2 | Mearns - Merriam | |
| Folders | 3-4 | Merrill, George P., 1898-1917 | |
| Folder | 5 | Meyer, A. B. - Meyer, H. H. B. | |
| Folder | 6 | Michael - Mixter | |
| Folder | 7 | Moffat - Myers | |
| Folder | 8 | National Academy of Sciences - Nutting | |
| Folder | 9 | Olmsted - Ottawa | |
| Folder | 10 | Padgett - Philosophical Society of Washington |
Box 9 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Picaco - Putnam | |
| Folder | 2 | Quesada - Ravenel, Gaillard | |
| Folders | 3-9 | Ravenel, William de C., 1902-1913 |
Box 10 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Ravenel, William de C., 1914-1917 | |
| Folder | 2 | Rea - Riemer | |
| Folder | 3 | Robbins - Roosevelt | |
| Folder | 4 | Rose - Royal | |
| Folder | 5 | Salsbury - Scudder | |
| Folder | 6 | Shandelle - Stebbing | |
| Folder | 7 | Stejneger, Leonhard, 1904-1917 | |
| Folder | 8 | Stephens - Sylvester | |
| Folder | 9 | Tassin - True, Alfred Charles | |
| Folder | 10 | True, Frederick William, 1897-1898 |
Box 11 of 22
| Folders | 1-5 | True, Frederick William, 1899-1914 | |
| Folder | 6 | True, Mrs. Frederick William - Wagoner | |
| Folders | 7-9 | Walcott, Charles D., 1897-1909 |
Box 12 of 22
| Folders | 1-6 | Walcott, Charles D., 1910-1917 | |
| Folder | 7 | Waldren - Watkins | |
| Folder | 8 | Weber - Willige | |
| Folder | 9 | Willis - Wolfe | |
| Folder | 10 | Wood - Zepin |
This series consists of bound letterpress books containing copies of outgoing correspondence compiled by Richard Rathbun while serving as Assistant Secretary, in charge of Office and Exchanges (1898- 1900) and Assistant Secretary, in charge of the United States National Museum (1901-1907). The correspondence is both personal and official in nature. Two distinct types of personal correspondence are found in this series: (1) genuinely personal material concerning business transactions, family matters, and the like; (2) correspondence which to the reader may seem like official museum business, but to Richard Rathbun held a place of confidential importance. A good example is the voluminous quantity of correspondence regarding Samuel P. Langley's aerodrome experiments that is found in the personal letterpress books. There also exists a large number of letters of introduction, acknowledgments of publications received, and other routine correspondence. The official correspondence is mostly routine and deals with administrative policy, USNM staff, museum publications, and exhibits. Of special interest is correspondence with foreign and domestic museum directors concerning museum planning and construction. Pages 1-83 of volume 4 contain correspondence entitled "Personal - Official" and consists mostly of correspondence directed to Samuel P. Langley. The letterpress books in this series are arranged according to nature of correspondence (personal or official), and chronologically thereunder. Each volume (except No. 1) is alphabetically indexed.
Box 13 of 22
| Volume | 1 | Personal Correspondence, July 28, 1898 - May 21, 1901 | |
| Volume | 2 | Personal Correspondence, May 23, 1901 - January 4, 1904 | |
| Volume | 3 | Personal Correspondence, December 3, 1903 -November 21, 1905 |
Box 14 of 22
| Volume | 4 | Pages 1-83. Personal - Official Correspondence, June 25, 1900 - October 2, 1902 Pages 84-493. Personal Correspondence, November 22, 1905 - December 25, 1907
| |
| Volume | 5 | Official Correspondence, September 24, 1900 -June 22, 1904 | |
| Volume | 6 | Official Correspondence, June 7, 1904 - February 15, 1907 |
In 1903, Congress authorized the Board of Regents to begin construction of a new National Museum building. Shortly thereafter, Assistant Secretary Richard Rathbun instructed certain USNM staff members (who were in Europe on prior business) to visit museums and make studies which might help in the construction and installation of the new National Museum. This series consists of reports on European museums submitted by William Henry Holmes (1904) and Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr. (1904 & 1907) and various publications concerning European museum collected by Holmes.
Box 15 of 22
| Folders | 1-4 | "Report of Studies of European Museums Made During the Summer of 1904," by William Henry Holmes. 198 pages. | |
| Folders | 5-8 | "Report on the Museums of Leiden, Holland" by Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr., 1904. 62 pages. (Original manuscript and one typewritten copy) | |
| Folder | 9 | "Report of Mr. Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr. on the Museums of Spain visited by him in 1907." Includes photographs. | |
| Folder | 10 | Publications concerning European Museums collected by William Henry Holmes. |
In 1909 the USNM published bulletin #70, The National Gallery of Art , by Richard Rathbun. The work provided a historical sketch of the National Museum's role in the field of fine arts and a description of the collections contained in the newly developed gallery. This series consists of incoming correspondence containing requests for and acknowledgments of receipt of bulletin #70. Correspondents include scientific associates, museums, art galleries, colleges and universities, congressmen, and personal friends. The records in this series are arranged alphabetically.
Box 16 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Abel - Cullum | |
| Folder | 2 | Dall - Julian-James | |
| Folder | 3 | Kahn - Notre Dame University | |
| Folder | 4 | Oberlin College - Rylands | |
| Folder | 5 | St. Louis - Zurich |
This series consists of material, compiled by Richard Rathbun, documenting the history of the Smithsonian Institution and U. S. National Museum. The bulk of material consists of administrative, divisional, and general histories. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications, and typescripts exist in small quantities. In 1906, Rathbun instructed each curator and museum officer to prepare a historical sketch of his division or office. Several of these sketches are contained in this series. Other histories consist of excerpts from SI and USNM annual reports. Materials of special interest include correspondence, newspaper clippings, and various other records concerning the Children's Room of the Smithsonian and several histories prepared by the museum staff. The material in this series is arranged alphabetically, by subject.
Box 16 of 22
| Folder | 6 | Administration - Historical sketch of administrative and scientific divisions, 1880-1912. | |
| Folder | 7 | Administration - Historical sketch of the administration of the USNM, undated. | |
| Folder | 8 | Administration - Historical sketch of the offices of Secretary, Assistant Secretary, and Acting Secretary, 1846-1906. | |
| Folder | 9 | Cataloging of Specimens - USNM regulations, undated. | |
| Folder | 10 | Chemistry, USNM - Historical sketch, undated. |
Box 17 of 22
| Folders | 1-13 | Children's Room of the Smithsonian Institution. Includes correspondence (1898-1916), newspaper clippings, articles and publications, labels for ornithological exhibits, and excerpts from annual reports. |
Box 18 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Department of Living Animals, USNM - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1881-1889. | |
| Folder | 2 | Department of Recent Plants, USNM - Historical sketch, undated. | |
| Folder | 3 | Disbursing Agent, Office of - Historical sketch by Washington Irving Adams, 1906. | |
| Folder | 4 | Division of Comparative Anatomy, USNM - Historical sketch, 1906. | |
| Folder | 5 | Division of Correspondence and Documents, USNM -Historical sketch by Randolph Iltyd Geare, 1906. | |
| Folder | 6 | Division of History, USNM - Historical sketch by A. Howard Clark, 1906. | |
| Folder | 7 | Division of History, USNM - Report on the Glover Collection of Chinese Coins by Paul Edmund Beckwith, 1897. | |
| Folder | 8 | Division of Insects, USNM - Historical sketch, undated. | |
| Folders | 9-10 | Division of Insects, USNM - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1881-1913. | |
| Folder | 11 | Division of Insects, USNM - Historical sketch by Leland Ossian Howard, 1906, including "An Account of the Collection in the order Coleoptera" by Eugene Amandus Schwarz; "An Account of the Collection in the order Diptera" by Daniel William Coquillett; "An Account of the Collection in the order Hymenoptera" by William Harris Ashmead. | |
| Folder | 12 | Division of Insects, USNM - Retrospective by Charles Valentine Riley. |
Box 19 of 22
| Folder | 1 | Division of Marine Invertebrates, USNM - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1882-1898. | |
| Folder | 2 | Division of Medicine, USNM - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1881-1911. | |
| Folder | 3 | Division of Medicine, USNM - Historical sketch by James M. Flint, undated. | |
| Folder | 4 | Division of Medicine, USNM - Historical sketch, undated. | |
| Folder | 5 | Division of Medicine, USNM - Digest of Correspondence, 1904-1916. | |
| Folder | 6 | Division of Mollusks, USNM - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1881-1898. | |
| Folder | 7 | Division of Paleobotany, USNM - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1881-1911. | |
| Folder | 8 | Department of Reptiles. Historical Report to 1866 by Henry C. Yarrow. | |
| Folder | 9 | Division of Reptiles and Batrachians, USNM- Historical Sketch, 1881-1906. | |
| Folder | 10 | "Expositions in which the National Museum has participated, 1876-1909." | |
| Folder | 11 | "Expositions in General." Historical sketch taken mostly from annual reports. |
Box 20 of 22
| Folders | 1-4 | Expositions - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1876-1896. | |
| Folder | 5 | Gifts and Bequest - USNM regulations. | |
| Folder | 6 | Identification of specimens - USNM regulations. | |
| Folder | 7 | Library of the USNM - Historical sketch, undated. | |
| Folder | 8 | National Gallery of Art - Miscellaneous material, including a description of collections. | |
| Folder | 9 | National Zoological Park - Miscellaneous material mostly concerning appropriations, 1902-1907. | |
| Folder | 10 | Photographic Laboratory of the USNM - Historical sketch by Thomas W. Smillie, 1868-1906. Included is biographical information on Smillie. |
Box 21 of 22
| Folders | 1-6 | Publications and Printing, USNM - Historical sketch, undated. | |
| Folder | 7 | Registrar, USNM - Explanation of duties. | |
| Folder | 8 | Research conducted by the USNM - Historical sketch compiled from annual reports, 1881-1906. | |
| Folder | 9 | Staff - Historical sketch of the USNM scientific staff, 1913. | |
| Folder | 10 | Staff - Report on the employment and regulation of personnel. | |
| Folders | 11-15 | Typescript, with handwritten corrections of USNM Bulletin #80, "A Descriptive Account of the Building Recently Erected for the Departments of Natural History of the United States National Museum," by Richard Rathbun, 1913. |
Box 22 of 22
| Folders | 1-7 | Typescript, with handwritten corrections of "Report on the Diatoms of the Albatross voyages in the Pacific Ocean, 1888-1904," by Albert Mann and Percy LeRoy Ricker. (Contributions From The U. S. National Herbrarium, Vol. X, part 5, 1907). | |
| Folder | 8 | U. S. National Museum-Historical sketch, undated. | |
| Folder | 9 | U. S. National Museum Building - Newspaper clippings concerning and descriptions of the new USNM building, 1911. |
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Revised: August 1, 2002