A Biographical Sketch of James Smithson

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Summary

A detailed biography of James Smithson (c.1765-1829), founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, that covers his family history, education at Oxford University, scientific research and colleagues, and bequest to the people of the United States.

Subject

  • Smithson, James 1765-1829
  • Oxford University

Category

Smithsonian Institution History Bibliography

Notes

Reprint Abridgement of Langley's chapter on Smithson in The Smithsonian Institution, 1846-1896, The History of its First Half Century, 1897. Also printed in 1914 as SI Publication No. 2276. Langley served as the third Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1887 to 1906.

Contained within

(Book)

Contact information

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

Date

1963

Topic

  • Smithson Bequest
  • Benefactors
  • Mineralogy
  • SI, Early History
  • Biography

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