Senate Votes to Accept Smithson Bequest

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Summary

Following a debate on the appropriateness of accepting James Smithson's bequest, the United States Senate votes to accept the legacy.

Subject

  • Smithson, James 1765-1829
  • United States Congress Senate
  • United States Congress

Category

Chronology of Smithsonian History

Notes

  • Oehser, Paul H. The Smithsonian Institution. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1970, p. 16.
  • Rhees, William Jones. The Smithsonian Institution: Documents Relative to Its Origin and History: 1835-1899, Vol. 1, 1835-1887. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1901, p. 141.

Contact information

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

Date

May 2, 1836

Topic

  • Smithson Bequest
  • Law
  • Act to establish the "Smithsonian Institution," for the Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge Among Men
  • SI, Early History
  • Gifts
  • Legislation

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