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Show James Smithson, Founder of Institution, English j James Smithson was a natural son of Hugh Smithson, Duke of Worth- umberland, by a Mrs. Elizabeth ! Mads of Wiltshire, England. He was Educated at Oxford, and early became be-came a chemist and scientific writer. writ-er. One of his maxims was: "The man of science is of no country; the world is his country, all mankind his countrymen," a maxim which was illustrative of his life and death; 'for he spent most of his life in France and Germany, was buried in Italy, and left his entire fortune, some half million dollars, to the United States government to be administered adminis-tered for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." 'Smithson was born in England about the year 1754; the exact place and date are unknown, notes a writer writ-er in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He died at Genoa, Italy, June 27, 1829, and was buried in the English cemetery near that city. In 1906 his remains were brought to this country. As a scientist he was honored by being elected to the Royal Society So-ciety and many other learned bodies, but that which does most to immortalize him is the Smithsonian Institution,' established by act of congress In 1846. From the income of the fund, the Smithsonian building build-ing was erected, while gifts and accumulated ac-cumulated interest have since greatly great-ly increased the endowment. The institution aids investigators by making grants for research and exploration, providing for lectures, publishing scientific papers, initiating initiat-ing scientific projects, etc. It has administrative charge of the National Na-tional museum, the National Gallery j of Art, the National Zoological park, the Astrophysical Observatory, and other agencies. |