Joseph Henry Elected President of National Academy of Sciences
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PrintSmithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry becomes the second president of the National Academy of Sciences. Henry had agreed to become vice-president after the Academy's first president, Henry's close friend and mentor Alexander Dallas Bache, became incapacitated by a brain disorder in 1864. Henry was reluctant to serve as the Academy's president because he felt his role as Smithsonian Secretary would present a conflict of interest, but he agreed to serve at the urging of Bache's widow. Henry was elected during a meeting held at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., from January 22 to January 25, chaired primarily by himself. Of sixteen votes cast, Henry received fifteen. He cast his own vote for Louis Agassiz.
Chronology of Smithsonian History
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
January 23, 1868
United States