Refreshments Sold in Smithsonian Building
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PrintSmithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry gives Mrs. John Connor permission to sell articles of refreshment, exclusive of intoxicating liquors, to the visitors to the U.S. National Museum in the Smithsonian Institution Building. Her late husband, John Connor, had been an employee of the Smithsonian for fifteen years prior to his sudden death in 1864, leaving his widow and daughters destitute. Secretary Henry wanted to provide a way for Mrs. Connor to earn income to support her family, and none of the proceeds came to the Smithsonian. Secretary Henry also asked the Board of Regents to use Smithsonian funds to pay for John Connor's funeral, which they did.
Chronology of Smithsonian History
When Board of Regents minutes are loaded into SIRIS, link this entry to the March 1, 1865 minutes
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 1, Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents Minutes, March 1, 1865.
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
March 1, 1865