James Smithson's Gift

Monetary

The first American bequest came from James Hamilton (1793-1873) of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A lawyer and scientist, Hamilton left $1000 to the Smithsonian in 1871 to endow a prize for "a contribution, paper, or lecture on any scientific or useful subject." Since that time, monetary gifts and bequests, large and small, have allowed the Institution to expand its collections, research, and service to the nation.

Thomas George Hodgkins

In the 1890s by Thomas George Hodgkins, a businessman, donated $250,000 to the Smithsonian for the study of the effects of atmospheric conditions on human health. Since 1893, the Hodgkins Medal has been awarded for achievements in atmospheric research--research carried out today by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Hodgkins Medal

Showy Oxytrope watercolor, 1920s

Caroline Henry (1839-1920), daughter of the Smithsonian's first Secretary, left the bulk of her estate to the Smithsonian in honor of her parents. Following her example, Mary Vaux Walcott (1860-1940) left $400,000 to the Institution to support geological research and publications begun by her husband, Charles Doolittle Walcott, the fourth Secretary of the Smithsonian.

Mary Vaux Walcott collecting wild flowers in Canada, 1920s

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