Today, July 1st in 1836, the United States Congress authorized acceptance of an unusual gift. Not that accepting gifts is an unusual thing for Congress to authorize … the Statue of Liberty was a gift accepted from France, for example. But this gift was the estate of a man who died 7 years earlier in Italy, was an Englishman, and had never been to the United States.
James Macie was born the bastard son of the Duke of Northumberland, who had an affair with one of his wife’s cousins. Born secretly in Paris, his status as an illegitimate child made things difficult for him in 18th century Europe, but he nonetheless was able to obtain both respect and acceptance … and wealth (which helped a lot). Macie attended Pembroke College, Oxford, where he studied chemistry and mineralogy, receiving a master’s degree in 1786. His timing was excellent, as chemistry had become one of the growth industries of the day, and young James moved to London to immerse himself in science.
It’s not entirely clear how James amassed his fortune, but he was very successful and talented in his field. Within a year of moving to London he was accepted by Britian’s most prestigious organization, the Royal Society (and was, at the time, its youngest member). He then had a long and distinguished career in the sciences. While there is some speculation that he inherited his wealth when his mother died, it’s equally plausible that he earned well and made shrewd investments … perhaps both. However amassed, he died a wealthy man in Genoa, Italy in 1829.
A few years before he died, James wrote a will leaving his estate to his 20-something nephew, Henry James Dickinson. James had a brother who had died and left his estate to his young son, Henry, in trust with James. James added his estate to Henry’s inheritance, stipulating that it was for Henry and his future children. That Henry have children must have been very important to James, as he added that if Henry dies without children (legitimate or illegitimate), then his entire estate should be gifted to the United States of America. He further stipulated that his gift be used for a specific purpose:
“to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.”
Shortly before he drafted this will, James had stopped using Macie, his mother’s name, and adopted the use of Smithson, the original surname of his father, the Duke. That explains why the institution was to be called the Smithsonian. What it doesn’t explain is why James wrote this caveat into his will, nor why he entrusted the establishment of the institution to the United States of America, rather than his British homeland.
History doesn’t help us here. All we have is speculation.
James likely never expected that his estate would end up going to the United States, as his nephew was in his early twenties with plenty of time to have children. But, as fate would have it, his nephew died a few years later with no heirs (cause of death unknown). The Times of London had printed Smithson’s will, and an American editor noticed the strange caveat and reprinted the will in the New York American. With both James and his nephew now deceased, Uncle Sam became the beneficiary of Smithson’s fortune.
But the question remains … why?
We know that the funds were earmarked to establish a scientific institution in Smithson’s name. Clearly, legacy was important to him, as the original intent was to pass it on to family heirs. But why his backup plan was entrusted to the United States … which he had never even been to … instead of Great Britain, where he had developed and shared his scientific knowledge, is a bit perplexing.
But here are some theories … guesses, really … worth every cent you’ve paid for them.
When James was a child, one of the most significant events happening in the world was the growing discontent in the British North American colonies. He was only 11 when they declared independence and became the United States of America. When Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris granting American independence, he would have been 18. It’s reasonable to assume that these events dominated his formative years. It’s also reasonable to assume that the American distain for European high society was very much in line with Smithson’s own views, based upon the attitudes he endured living in that society as an illegitimate child.
When he wrote his will in 1826, the United States was on its 6th president under the Constitution. The original 13 States were now 22 in number, and America was a growing power with a bright future, whereas Great Britain was an empire in decline. If someone interested in their legacy were to bet it on the future of the United States versus the future of Great Britain, the US might have seemed the better bet.
Regardless of why he left his fortune to the United States, Congress was informed in 1836, shortly after the nephew died. Congress first debated whether or not they had the authority to accept such a gift and, after formally accepting it, spent another 10 years trying to decide what to do with the money, as “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men” was kind of vague and subject to interpretation. But the first Smithsonian Institution Building was finally completed in 1855.
Eventually Smithson’s body would be reinterred in the institution he established. Mining was threatening his grave site in Italy, and Alexander Graham Bell advocated to have his remains shipped to the United States, where they were placed in a crypt inside the Smithsonian building known as “The Castle.”
NEXT WEEK: Vermont’s History of Slavery