THE MASONS AND MASONIC MOMENTS OF THE EARLY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION By B. Chris Ruli Grand Historian
WB B. Chris Ruli
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ugust 10, 2021 marks the Smithsonian Institution’s 175th anniversary or Dodransbicentennial. Since its inception, “the Smithsonian” has evolved into a prominent center of learning with nineteen museums, twenty-one libraries, nine research centers, a zoo, and over two hundred affiliated bodies across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Panama. As we celebrate this impressive milestone, let’s take a brief look at the Masons and Masonic events associated with the institution’s formation and early development. Following his untimely death in 1835, the English chemist and mineralogist James Smithson bequeathed his fortune to the United States, to develop an institution for the “diffusion of knowledge.” Because he died without a direct heir, the funds were transferred first to his nephew, and then later to the United States. Once they arrived in Philadelphia in the Summer of 1838, they were calculated at $508,318.46. (The fund later grew to $550,000, which adjusted for inflation, today would be around $16 Million.) 8 | THE VOICE OF FREEMASONRY ISSUE 1, 2021
The gift was announced on December 17th, 1835 by President Andrew Jackson, and throughout the ensuing decade, several attempts were made in Congress to utilize Smithson’s bequest. But, each attempt failed to garner a consensus. John Qunicy Adams, who returned to Congress after his term as President, lobbied extensively to build the country’s first observatory with the money, while other proposals suggested a national university, libraries, or trade schools. The Smithsonian finally came to fruition, in earnest, by way of the rise and decline of its predecessor, the National Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences. Secretary of War Joel Poinsett, the National Institute’s co-founder and former Grand High Priest of South Carolina, lobbied extensively for the National Institute to absorb Smithson’s endowment in order to build a national museum. Poinsett’s attempts ultimately failed to gain momentum in Congress, and the National Institute practically ceased to exist by 1845. Poinsett’s vision did, however, attract Indiana representative Robert Dale Owen’s attention. In 1846, Owen submitted his own bill to Congress to erect a new institute using the Smithson endowment. He borrowed heavily from the National Institute’s governance structure, Poinsett’s mission, and the institute’s publications. “The Smithsonian Bill” established eight “classes” or departments, which would be managed by an executive board composed of the President, his cabinet and other highranking officials, and a Board of Regents composed of congressmen, scientists, and public officials. Owen’s bill also provided for a new building to house a museum, lecture hall, and other public resources. The bill passed Congress and was signed into law on August 10, 1846 by President and Freemason James Polk
Joel Poinsett
The new Smithsonian’s Board of Regents gathered in Washington for their first meeting on September 7, 1846. Among those in attendance were Vice-President George Dallas of Pennsylvania, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, Congressman Owen, and Mayor and Past Grand Master of the District of Columbia