James Smithson

His mother lived near the City of Bath, seen here from a hilltop in 1768 with the River Avon flowing on the right. Elizabeth Hungerford Keate Macie, was from the nearby town of Weston and Mrs. Macie in 1761 enjoyed the freedom of widowhood and the elaborate social life of Bath. Bath was the favorite playground in England for the upper class. It is suspected that this is where she met and had an affair with Sir Hugh Smithson. The affair led to the birth c. 1765 of James Smithson who would one day leave his estate to the U.S. government for the founding of the Smithsonian Institution.

After living in both France and England, on May 7, 1782, Smithsonian enrolled in Pembroke College, Oxford.

In this James Roberts (1753 - c.1809) painting, Smithson is wearing his university robes. He attended Pembroke College from 1782 to 1786, studying geology and mineralogy.

James Smithson’s Room at Pembroke College, Oxford.

The natural sciences sparked his interest, and he established a solid reputation as a chemist and mineralogist, during the exciting period when chemistry was being developed as a new science in the late 1700s. Committed to discovering the basic elements, he worked diligently to collect mineral and ore samples from European countries.

- James Smithson's Mineral Catalog

Excerpts from his notes show that his field excursions often forced him to brave the elements and do without the upper class comforts known to his parents. Smithson, although a wealthy man, was determined to make a name for himself among scientists. He kept accurate records of his experiments and collections, and his publications earned the respect of his peers.

- Smithson's first paper (1791) was published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, volume LXXXI, part 2, p. 368. The paper details his many experiments on tabasheer, a substance found in bamboo.

James Smithson wrote a draft of his Last Will and Testament in 1826 in London, only three years before his death.

- Hand written draft of Smithson's will, pages 1 and 3

Smithson died on June 27, 1829, in Genoa, Italy, where he was buried in a British cemetery.

- Memorial plaque and the monument of James Smithson in the Protestant or English cemetery on a hilltop near Genoa, Italy, overlooking the town of Sampierdarena.

The will left his estate to his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, and stated that if his nephew died without an heir, the money would go "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 ...." His nephew did indeed die without an heir, and Smithson's estate eventually did come to the United States where a debate would begin about what this new institution would be.

- Smithson's Will, pages 2 and 4. The final version was written on October 23, 1826 and accepted by the court on November 4, 1829.

First, Richard Rush, an attorney from Philadelphia, filed a lawsuit in London to get the Smithson estate for the United States. In just two years, Rush won a judgment for the United States, disposed of Smithson's properties, and converted the proceeds to gold sovereigns.

When the estate was delivered to the US Mint in Philadelphia in September 1838, it totaled $508,318.46.

- "The Mediator" transported Richard Rush with James Smithson's legacy, in the form of gold sovereigns packed in eleven boxes, as well as his personal effects including his mineral cabinet, library, and scientific writings, across the Atlantic Ocean. The ship arrived in New York harbor on August 29, 1838, and the personal effects were deposited with the collector of the Port of New York on September 1.

Painting from the Mariner’s Museum, Newport News, VA.

Congressional debates regarding Smithson's bequest continued until 1846 when legislation was passed creating the Smithsonian Institution.

- Act establishing the Smithsonian Institution, August 10, 1846.

By 1855, the Smithsonian had it's first building on the National Mall. The Smithsonian Institution Building, popularly known as the "Castle," was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr. The building is constructed of red sandstone from Seneca Creek, Maryland, in the Norman style (a 12th-century combination of late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs). When it was completed in 1855, it sat on an isolated piece of land cut off from downtown Washington, DC, by a canal.

In the ensuing decades, the Castle became the anchor for the National Mall, as additional museums and government buildings were constructed around it.

Unfortunately, a fire in the Smithsonian Institution Building or Castle in 1865 destroyed many of the Smithson letters, diaries, and other papers originally acquired by the Institution. As a result of the fire, the Smithsonian Institution Archives does not have very many of James Smithson's original letters or other papers.

- This photograph was taken and heavily retouched by Alexander Gardner, who painted flames on the photographic print.

Among those that the Smithsonian Institution Archives does have are a handwritten draft of Smithson's Last Will and Testament, dated October 23, 1826, and these books from his personal library.

The English Cemetery was located near the barracks (large red building) on the heights of San Benigno, above the slate quarries in this late 1800s photo, looking from Genoa toward the Lighthouse. Much of the ridge was leveled in the 1930s.

Seen here in the harbour at Genoa, Italy in January 1904, the steamship Princess Irene prepares to sail for New York on January 7, carrying Smithsonian Regent Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel, who took the photo, along with James Smithson's remains.

Los Angeles Herald, January 17, 1904

SMITHSON'S REMAINS ON THE WAY HOME
United States Steamer Will Meet the Princess Irene
______________________
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 --The United States steamship Dolphin left the Washington navy yard today for New York, to receive the remains of James Smithson, founder of the Smithsonian Institute, which are on the steamer Prinzess Irene from Genoa, due at New York on the 20th inst.
The Dolphin will meet the merchant ship down the bay and escort her to her dock, where the remains of the distinguished philanthropist will be transferred to the naval vessel and brought to this city for final interment, in accordance with the plans of the officers of the Smithsonian Institution.

Upon arrival in Washington, Smithson's casket was placed in the Regents' Room, South Tower of the "Castle," before its transfer to the Crypt at the North Entrance.

An exhibit of Smithson memorabilia can be seen in cases along the wall. Also visible in the Regents' Room is a fireplace designed by Hornlower and Marshall, flanked by chairs designed by James Renwick.

The memorial plaque at the original Italian grave site was later stolen and replaced with a facsimile of Carrara marble in 1900. That plaque was brought to Washington, D.C., in 1904, when Smithson's remains were moved to the Smithsonian and is still in the Crypt Room of the Smithsonian Castle today; a fitting commemoration to the Institution's benefactor.

The Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and research complex—includes 21 museums and galleries (10 seen here on the National Mall in Washington, DC) and the National Zoological Park.

These free public spaces are the blossoms on the Tree of Knowledge that sprouted from the amazing bequest of James Smithson.