| The Smithsonian Institution owes its origin to a British scientist named James Smithson, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Northumberland, who died in 1829. Although Smithson named his nephew as beneficiary of his estate, his last will and testament stipulated that should his nephew die without heirs (as he did in 1835) the entirety of his property, more than a half-million dollars, be bequeathed to the United States of America,
“. . . to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge . . . .”
It is unknown why Smithson would leave his entire fortune to a country to which he never traveled and to a people with whom he seems to have never shared correspondence.
Six years after Smithson’s death, President Andrew Jackson turned the matter over to Congress, which pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust. After years of heated debate, an Act of Congress was signed by President James K. Polk on August 10, 1846, that established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian. The Act provided the basic charter for the Smithsonian which still applies today.
The vision statement for the Institution in the 21st century and beyond:
To be widely regarded as the country’s highest quality, most extensive provider of authoritative experiences that connect the American people to their history and to their cultural and scientific heritage.
To be recognized as one of the world’s great scientific research organizations.
Although the Smithsonian has continually adapted to changing social, physical, and technological environments, for more than 15 decades the Institution has stayed true to its central mission.
(From: http://prism.si.edu/os/regents/HistoryandMission.htm) |
