Van Buren Solicits Ideas re Smithson Bequest
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PrintPresident Martin Van Buren instructs Secretary of State John Forsyth to "apply to persons versed in science and familiar with the subject of public education for their views as to the mode of disposing of the fund best calculated to meet the intentions of the testator and prove most beneficial to mankind." This reinforces the notion that the Institution will be oriented towards the fields of science and education.
Chronology of Smithsonian History
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. 145-146
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
July, 1838